Swindon pupils becoming Zurich 'insurers for the day'

The aim is to spark curiosity and inspire nearly 1,000 11-16-year-olds to consider careers in insurance and financial services.
Through hands-on “insurer for a day” challenges, pupils will step into the role of an insurer, tackling real-world risk scenarios such as designing a protection plan for a major event like a concert.
Working in teams, they will assess risks, protect customers and make decisions under pressure, responding to unexpected twists along the way.
The programme will run in Swindon and other locations.
Michelle Ransome, Talent Acquisition Manager for Zurich UK, said: “Insurance can feel quite abstract to young people, so this challenge is designed to make it more tangible and real. 
"We’re moving away from talking to students about what it’s like to work in the industry by putting them into the role of an insurer and encouraging them to think through risks and solutions. 
"We want to help them build valuable skills that will benefit them whatever career path they choose.
“The challenge also reflects Zurich’s commitment to social mobility, inclusion and longterm talent development. 
"By working with local schools, we’re showing young people that a career in insurance and in their community is within their reach.”
Zurich colleagues from a range of roles will visit the schools to help run the sessions and answer questions about their own careers and experiences.
Across all locations, the challenges aim to demystify insurance careers and showcase the breadth of roles available, from data and technology to customer experience and risk management.
Students will develop key transferable skills including teamwork, communication, problem-solving and creative thinking, while hearing directly from Zurich employees about early careers pathways.
The initiative, Zurich says, will also help the sector build a stronger early talent pipeline. Research from the London Market Group (LMG)¹ shows the scale of the challenge: the London Market currently employs around 61,000 people, with demand expected to rise to over 82,000 roles by 2034.
At the same time, the average workforce age in the industry is set to increase to 46, while graduate job postings in insurance fell by 18 percent year on year in September 2025, highlighting the need to engage young people sooner.
Research from Re:Generation shows that more than a quarter of UK insurance staff are already over 50. They warn that up to half of the current workforce could retire in the next 15 years, taking decades of underwriting experience with them.
These school challenges form part of Zurich’s early careers and social mobility strategy, focused on inclusion, diversity and raising awareness of financial services careers. 
By delivering these experiences locally, Zurich says it is helping remove barriers to access, ensuring students can take part in high-quality work-related learning without needing to travel to London.
 

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