PERTH High School wins competition to devise a campaign promoting careers in the insurance industry

Nov 24 2009 by Alison Lowson, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

PERTH High School pupils have won a competition to devise a campaign promoting careers in the insurance industry.

An initiative aimed at boosting the local insurance sector was launched by the Perth Insurance Sector Skills Council, with a workshop for more than 70 secondary school pupils.

The winning team of Bethany Kelly, Laura Inglis, Lia Hay and Emily Fulton impressed with the quality of their presentation and their enthusiasm.

Aviva director Ian Ferguson, who was one of the judges, presented the school with a cheque for £400 and a trophy.

The other judges were George Stubbs, president of Perth and Dundee Chartered Insurance Institute, and Sheena Howden, enterprise manager at Perth College.

High School headteacher Jim Scott said: “We are proud of our winning team and what they have achieved for the benefit of the school.

“This event was a good opportunity to find out about career opportunities in the insurance sector and to practice skills that will be useful in the job market.”

The workshop was organised by a partnership of public and private sector organisations who are working to develop Perth and Kinross as a general insurance centre of excellence.

The partnership includes Perth and Kinross Council, Perth College, the Chartered Institute of Insurers, Clark Thomson Insurance, George Stubbs Insurance Services and Aviva.

Mr Stubbs said: “School pupils from the various local schools enjoyed the day at Aviva, providing them with information on a career in insurance.

“Most people, like myself, tend to stumble into insurance and don’t make a conscious decision about a possible career in the industry. With the change to the schools curriculum we are also looking at gaining SQA accreditation for Chartered Insurance Institute courses.

“The endgame is for Perth to become a centre of excellence for insurance in scotland and possibly the UK.”