Please tell me about the training when you first joined?

When I started 7 years ago, we didn't have a customer team based in Manchester, so it was very different to the current new starter training programme. I traveled to Haywards Heath for my induction which was a fantastic experience, enabling me to build relationships with my colleagues through face-to-face conversations.

During the first week we had intro meetings with the senior leaders, which provided me with a true understanding of the company's pace and ambition. The customer claims training was comprehensive, comprising a 3-week induction covering the basics of insurance, understanding policy cover and liability, along with systems training.

The frequency of training can vary at First Central and is very much role dependent. In customer claims FNOL (first notification of loss), our qualified Learning and Development team take you through a comprehensive 4-week induction. On conclusion you are then provided support in our 'academy' area for a further 6 weeks. This is managed by a team of experienced coaches.

I joined 2 and a half years ago into a customer facing role in Policy Analysis in Haywards Heath and had a 4-week training induction.

The first week was built up of learning all about the company and insurance in general, alongside getting logins for systems and becoming familiar with software.

Weeks 2, 3 and 4 comprised of learning the role of a Policy Review Specialist within counter fraud, including working cases on a test system followed by working live cases. Throughout this period support was on hand in the office and regular call listening and call coaching was completed.

The whole training package was fantastic, I felt fully immersed into the role from day 1. This training then set me up for taking live customer calls on my final week and support was also on hand if needed. After completing my training, I felt ready to join my team.

I started working within the Policy Analysis Team during lockdown in 2020, which was definitely a difficult time to train 10 completely fresh faces! At that time, the department had only 20 or so people (now nearer 100!) and we were the first cohort to test a completely new way of working. Our fantastic L&D Team put on a virtual A-Z course on insurance and fraud, and we had training with colleagues on our day-to-day tasks. We were also given time with different areas of the business, which was a really good way to start understanding the different business functions right from the get-go. The total training duration I received was around 2 weeks, though this has now been extended to 4-6 weeks for new starters. However, even after those 2 weeks I felt confident and eager to get stuck in!