Darryl Higgins

“The apprenticeship has allowed me to fully understand the different roles that exists at Chaucer and develop the skills needed to progress within the company.”

Chaucer Insurance is a long-established business with the capital and expertise required to underwrite business at Lloyd’s, the world’s leading specialist insurance and reinsurance market.

Darryl Higgins joined Chaucer Insurance in April 2008, as a member of the First Response Unit, now he is Trainee Claims Negotiator. Darryl is currently undertaking a Level 2 Apprenticeship in Retail Financial Services with the National Skills Academy for Financial Services (NSAFS).

Following his A-levels, Darryl worked part-time in retail before taking a year off to travel around New Zealand. Shortly after joining Chaucer Insurance, Darryl joined the apprenticeship scheme.

Darryl is one of the first six apprentices trialing the scheme being offered at Chaucer Insurance and is expecting to finish in early February 2010.

The Apprenticeship scheme has helped Darryl progress his career: “The scheme has allowed me to find out more about the different job roles at Chaucer and I now feel that I understand the skills needed to progress and be able to offer the best service to our customers.

“The main benefit of the scheme is that there are many training opportunities and I am keen to make the most of these. There has also been training in English and maths which has helped me build my confidence and remind myself of what I learnt in school.”

For Darryl, the opportunity to learn about customer relations offers long-term benefits to the apprentices: “We all have been able to learn from the people around us, and these tips and this experience will help our professional development as well as benefiting Chaucer’s customer base.”

Darryl’s apprenticeship is being run through Orpington College.