Member Article

National pensions specialist Punter Southall chooses B-Skill apprentice to build its team

A major actuary and pensions company with offices around the UK has chosen Newcastle-based B-Skill to find its first ever apprentice.

Punter Southall has more than £12bn of assets under management and more than £30bn of assets under advice but the company realises its most important assets are its people.

Needing total confidence in the commitment and expertise of its training delivery partner to meet its precise needs, the firm - which usually only recruits graduates - has turned to B-Skill as its training delivery partner.

Following this, Punter Southall’s first apprentice Emma Lathan has joined the company’s Newcastle office fresh from finishing her A-levels. The 18-year-old, from Riding Mill in Northumberland, is two months into a one-year Business Administration apprenticeship.

Ann-Marie Burns, from Punter Southall’s Newcastle office, said: “B-Skill takes a lot of care to ensure that the apprentice candidates are of the highest calibre and match our exact requirements.

“They make sure everything is right from the very beginning and that is precisely the high standard that Punter Southall expects from its business partnerships. We’re delighted with our first apprentice and will be using B-Skill in the future to provide us with candidates of the right calibre.

“It’s fair to say that Emma impressed us at her interview with her maturity and eagerness to learn so we were confident she’d fit into the team in Newcastle. She works as part of our support team, performing the tasks that keep the office moving – recording and distributing post – and researching new business prospects.”

Emma began her Business Administration Apprenticeship almost immediately after completing her A-levels and is now studying towards an NVQ level 2 in business administration.

She said: “This was the first position that came along that I was interested in, and it seemed like a really nice place. I didn’t expect it to be so quick!

“I never really fancied going to university, I just wanted to get out there and get a job. The apprenticeship lasts for a year and then they’ll assess whether they need to keep me.”

B-Skill specialises in matching applicants with company culture, which takes much of the risk out of the apprenticeship process for employers.

Paul Wileman, managing director of B-Skill, said: “There are many bright young people who decide that university is not for them, and they are ideal candidates for demanding apprenticeships such as Emma’s position with Punter Southall.

“We were delighted to be able to match Emma with such a high-profile company and look forward to receiving updates on her progress.

“For employers, taking on an apprentice is both a cost-effective and reliable method of finding the right person for the job. We work hard to find the correct match for your company, and our trainers work with the apprentices on the job. A B-Skill apprenticeship provides a win-win situation both for employers and young job seekers.”

B-Skill’s apprenticeships scheme is run with funding from the Skills Funding Agency, supported by the European Social Fund. For more information about how to get involved, please contact Andrea Aylwin on 0845 2303736 or email business@b-skill.com.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Astute.Work .