AXA launches Work Inspiration Day for students

• The Work Inspiration Day saw twelve Year 10 students from Sunbury Manor School and Thamesmead School attend AXA’s Weybridge office in The Heights.
• Sessions included an employability skills workshop, overviews from the IT and Business teams and a personality exercise before students presented in front of AXA staff and representatives from their schools.
• This is the first Work Inspiration Day to take place in AXA’s offices in Weybridge; with over 800 students having taken part in AXA’s initiative since 2012.

On Monday 25th November, school students from across Surrey took part in a Work Inspiration Day at AXA’s offices in The Heights, Weybridge.

Twelve Year 10 students from Sunbury Manor School and Thamesmead School attended the inaugural Weybridge Work Inspiration Day to practice and demonstrate their employability skills and be inspired by the world of work.

The students took part in half a dozen interactive sessions throughout the day, all run by a team of around 25 AXA employees. Sessions included a personality exercise, an employability skills workshop and department overviews from the IT and Business teams. There was also time to squeeze in a networking lunch where the students had the opportunity to meet yet more AXA employees and discuss their job roles.

The students finished their day by presenting to an audience of AXA staff they met on the day as well as representatives from each of their schools. Nic Bourven, Chief Information Officer at AXA Insurance, then presented each student with a certificate stating the key employability skills they had demonstrated during the day.

“While AXA has previously hosted Work Inspiration Days in our other UK offices, this is the first time we have opened our doors to students in Surrey. Our aim for these sessions is to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate and evidence key employability skills needed for their future careers, while learning what it’s like to work in a large corporate environment. We feel the day was a huge success and will be looking to hosting more in Weybridge in 2020."

— Catherine Brunger, Corporate Social Responsibility and Education Manager, AXA UK

“The students demonstrated great enthusiasm and kept their energy levels up all the way through to the close of the day. Each student represented their school in a professional manner and I hope went away with a much better understanding of large corporate environments, with a boost to their confidence. I would encourage any student thinking of a STEM career to consider a work placement day, or for those that are leaving school, one of our apprenticeship schemes."

— Nic Bourven, Chief Information Officer, AXA Insurance

As part of its Work Inspiration programme, AXA has welcomed almost 800 students aged 14-19 into its offices across the UK since 2012. The days currently run in Tunbridge Wells, Teesside, Leicester, Bristol and Weybridge, and will be rolled out across further offices in UK & Ireland in the near future as part of its AXA Cares strategy.

Authored by AXA Commercial Lines and Personal Intermediary