The aims of the event were to:
- Demystify the insurance industry
- Provide hands-on insight into the roles, responsibilities, and the skills required to thrive in this field
- Empower young people from diverse backgrounds to explore career opportunities in the sector.
Held at DWF’s Birmingham office, the half-day programme involved 33 students from six local authorities and featured a keynote address from senior leaders at Aviva.
A hands-on experience
The event adopted a World Café format, encouraging interactive learning and peer-to-peer engagement.
Students rotated through themed tables hosted by professionals who had volunteered their time from DWF and Aviva, each focusing on a different aspect of the insurance industry:
- Understanding Risk & Cost Assessment: Students explored how insurers evaluate risk and determine premiums using real-world scenarios.
- Reviewing Claims & Calculating Payouts: Participants acted as claims handlers, reviewing mock claims, and calculating payouts to understand the importance of fairness and empathy.
- Career Pathways & Apprenticeships: DWF and Aviva professionals shared their career journeys, while apprentices inspired students with stories of vocational routes into the industry.
Measurable impact
69% of attendees were from ethnic minority backgrounds, 39% were from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, and 3% reported having Special Educational Needs.
As these demographics are generally all underrepresented in the legal and insurance sectors, this level of diversity in attendees represented a great accomplishment and a wonderful opportunity inspire diverse colleagues of the future.
Attendees left the event engaged and informed about potential careers in the legal and insurance sectors and feedback from the event was overwhelmingly positive with students reporting a better understanding of the skills employers seek as a result of the content.
Another fantastic outcome of the event was that a participating student subsequently applied for and secured a place on the 2025 DWF Apprenticeship Programme, showcasing the power of early engagement, raising awareness, and providing exposure to new ideas.
DWF Director and Race & Ethnicity Network Senior Lead, Neville Sampson said ' The Opening Doors event with Aviva and Speakers for Schools was a powerful demonstration of what collaboration can achieve. By welcoming students from underrepresented backgrounds into our Birmingham office, we helped demystify the insurance industry and inspired future talent to see their place in it. The energy, engagement, and impact, especially seeing one student secure a place on our 2025 Apprenticeship Programme, speak volumes about the value of early exposure and inclusive opportunity."
