How Legal and General are creating a learning culture

With a development ethos to ‘Achieve, Aspire and Grow’, Legal and General Investment Management (LGIM) has created a successful Apprenticeship Programme that has laid solid foundations for the future.

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LGIM’s investment in people development has resulted in the company being shortlisted for the Large Employer of the Year Award at next month’s Apprenticeship Awards Cymru, the annual celebration of outstanding achievement in training and apprenticeships.

Thirty-four finalists in a dozen categories are in the running for the prestigious Apprenticeship Awards Cymru, which will be presented at a high-profile ceremony at the new International Convention Centre Wales, Newport on October 24.

The awards showcase the successes of the best learners, employers, tutors and assessors in Wales who have excelled in contributing to the development of the Welsh Government’s Traineeship and Apprenticeship programmes.

[/aoa]Jointly organised by the Welsh Government and the National Training Federation for Wales (NTfW), the Apprenticeship Awards Cymru has Openreach, the UK’s digital network business, as its premier sponsor this year. The Apprenticeship Programme is funded by the Welsh Government with support from the European Social Fund.

Since 2016, LGIM Retail, the company’s Cardiff-based arm, has enjoyed the benefits of having an in-house programme, providing training for inductions, regulatory changes, skill enhancement and everything in between.

The initial training programme was tailored towards the higher apprenticeship needs of the existing management team.

“The completion of management apprenticeships has allowed us to gain the buy-in at that level which has enabled us to roll out further staff apprenticeships in 2018,” said Sarah Evans, LGIM’s People Development Manager. “As a result, we are now able to offer more learning opportunities to the wider team which is proving hugely beneficial to the company as a whole.”

There are currently 23 apprentices undergoing work-based learning. Since rolling out staff apprenticeships, LGIM Retail has benefited from a massive increase in employee confidence, demonstrated by only one of six Learnership and Management Level 3 learners still in the role they started.

LGIM Retail has worked closely with Bridgend-based TSW Training to offer Level 3, 4 and 5 Apprenticeships in Leadership and Management, Level 4 Advice and Guidance and Level 2 Business Improvement Techniques.

“A contributing factor to the programme’s success has been the LGIM team’s willingness to embrace new ways of learning within the organisation,” said Toni Hughes, Quality Development Lead at TSW Training. “We have seen the apprentices thrive and the Apprenticeship Programme has been extended to other parts of the company.”

Minister for the Economy and Transport, Ken Skates, congratulated LGIM and all the other shortlisted finalists.

“Our Welsh Government’s Apprenticeships and Traineeship programmes are helping increasing numbers of people to gain the skills and experience that we know businesses across all sectors of the economy in Wales really need,” he said.

“The Apprenticeship Awards Cymru provides an excellent opportunity to celebrate and showcase the achievements of everyone involved in those programmes from our star apprentices and employers, to learning providers and trainees.”