For one week in February, 19 young people from LTSB’s London Business and Law cohorts stepped into the world of insurance, spending a week embedded at one of the UK’s leading insurance firms.
Hosted by Specialist Risk Group (SRG) at their London headquarters, the placement marked the third consecutive year the company has welcomed LTSB young people into the organisation. The aim is to give young people from disadvantaged backgrounds a genuine, hands-on experience of professional life.
A Week Inside the Industry
Demand for the valuable experience was high, with young people asked to demonstrate commitment and a genuine interest in the insurance sector through an application process, before being selected for a place. Each young person was matched with a team across the business, including broking, legal underwriting, marketing, finance and technology, working alongside professionals throughout the week.
Experiences ranged from visiting Lloyd’s of London with broking teams to sitting in on M&A sessions and working with a finance business partner. Young people also took part in a mock interview, attended a careers panel with SRG colleagues, and finished the week with a CV workshop and reflection session.
New Perspectives
For many, the placement challenged their expectations of the insurance industry.
“During my week of work experience at SRG, I was placed with the CBC department. At first, I wasn’t that interested in this area because it wasn’t something I’d really investigated before. However, the team completely changed my perspective…It ended up being a valuable and memorable experience.”
— Anisa, London cohort 2025
Others left with a stronger sense of the path they wanted to pursue.
“My time at SRG was brilliant… I’d love to shadow legal underwriters again and this experience has made me really interested into the field of insurance.”
— Tayyeb, Business cohort 2025
A Partnership That Creates Opportunity
Now in its third year, the work experience programme reflects a growing partnership between SRG and LTSB.
“Our ongoing partnership with LTSB is incredibly meaningful to all of us at SRG. We’re proud to host these young people each year because of the individual enthusiasm and insight that they bring. Our aim within this week is to help them build confidence, broaden their networks, and see that a future in Insurance is within reach.”
— Ottilie Collins, People Business Partner at SRG
Catherine Gurner, Head of Business Development at LTSB, added:
“Specialist Risk Group is a longstanding corporate Partner of LTSB and has consistently supported the charity’s work with young people facing disadvantage. Experiences like this can be life-changing, providing invaluable insight into the professional world the young people aspire to enter. The impact on the young people involved will be far-reaching and stands as a powerful reflection of the strength of the partnership between SRG and LTSB.”
We look forward to continuing to strengthen our partnership with SRG and creating more opportunities for young people to explore careers in the insurance industry.
