QBE European Operations Chief People Officer, Emma Higgins, was interviewed by Insurance Insider discussing QBE's Employer of the Year award and Judge's Commended QBE Schools Partnership Programme.

Building skills through meaningful work experience

The Schools Partnership programme offers mentorship and work experience to young people from ethnically and socially diverse backgrounds, which impressed the judges at this year's Insurance Insider Honours awards.

"The aim of the programme is to give them some really meaningful work experience, to build some skills that will take them from school into the working world to help them start to build some professional networks," shared Emma. 

"It's essentially one approach as part of a number of different approaches to help build representation but really from the very beginning, so school leavers and early careers."

Looking forward, Emma highlighted that QBE started the programme with six interns, and now have 12 interns, with the programme also looking to expand geographically across the UK. 

Fantastic recognition for excellent work 

Addressing how winning Employer of the Year award will impact QBE going forward, Emma said: "It's just fantastic recognition for all the work that's gone into some of the changes we've made over the course of the last few years. That's not just a result of the people function but all of our leaders and managers and in particular the networks that have supported the journey. It's been a huge recognition.  

"How will it affect us? I think it just gives us the drive and the motivation to keep doing what we're doing. So it's a huge positive momentum for us to continue the changes that we're making."

QBE European Operations is a community-focused employer 

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