Enterprise M3 Apprenticeship Ambassador wins National Apprenticeship Award

Enterprise M3 were delighted to see that Be Wiser Insurance, based in Andover, beat off stiff competition, including The Highways Agency and UBS, and has been named as one of the country's leading employers of apprentices after picking up one of the top accolades at the National Apprenticeship Awards.

Be Wiser Insurance is a member of the Enterprise M3 Apprenticeship Ambassador Network, they share their award winning experience, knowledge and commitment to apprenticeships and proactively promote and introduce other businesses to the apprenticeship programme.

The Hampshire-based company was awarded the "Newcomer Large Employer of the Year" at an awards ceremony in London last week which recognised top apprentices and leading employers from around the country.

The company was chosen as the winner in recognition of its commitment to developing young people through apprenticeships. Be Wiser currently employs more than 700 people and has more than 250 apprentices most of whom have trained with the insurance broking company in the last five years.

Crescens George, Director of Training and Development at Be Wiser said, "Apprenticeships have enriched and improved our business in many ways. Introducing apprenticeships to the business has enabled us to invest in our staff and turn `jobs` into `careers`. For many of our employees an apprenticeship scheme has given them an opportunity to re-engage in education and has enabled them to become valuable and professionally qualified members of staff."

The company was praised by Skills Minister Nick Boles, "Apprenticeships truly are set to be one of the great success stories of the decade, and Be Wiser Insurance is a worthy ambassador," he said "We are committed to three million apprenticeships by 2020 so that even more businesses can follow Be Wiser's lead and reap the benefits of apprenticeships."

Kit Malthouse, MP for North West Hampshire, who visited Be Wiser last year and met some of the apprentices said at the time," It's excellent to have a business so committed to developing the skills of young people in the local area. It's something we want to see more of everywhere. Learning and earning is a great way to start your career and I wish them further success in the future."

Nadhim Zahawi, the Prime Minister's Apprenticeship Adviser, who presented the awards, said, "There are many examples of excellent apprenticeships and apprentices in England and these winners are the best of the best. It's an honour to have been part of these awards.

"To play a small part in recognising the effort of so many great businesses and to reward apprentices for their hard work and dedication. All this year's winners should shout from the rooftops about what taking an apprenticeship has done for them or what hiring an apprentice has done for their business."

The awards, now in their 12th year, are run by the National Apprenticeship Service and recognise excellence in two areas: businesses that grow their own talent with apprentices and apprentices who have made a significant contribution to their workplaces.

To find out more about the company visit www.bewiser.co.uk

To find out more about becoming an Apprenticeship Ambassador click here