I knew nothing about insurance
Jenna has been part of the Momentum family for the best part of ten years.
When she left school, she took up a part time job in a supermarket but was still trying to find her ideal career. One night, Jenna was chatting to a family friend who told her about a potential place in Leicester.
“I heard about the apprenticeship scheme through word of mouth. I had just left school… and one of my Dad’s friends told me about it. It was a new opportunity, and I think I was the second apprentice to join.”
Word of mouth is the most trusted influence when it comes to making a decision. 69% of Brits have tried a recommendation after being referred by their friends and family (and even strangers!).
Momentum’s reputation was spreading to new apprentices who were considering joining the team. Armin Haynes had finished secondary school in 2019 and spent the summer months labouring.
“I heard about the apprenticeship scheme through Babington College. They recommended this place [Momentum] to me following an interview with a different firm.”
Now in his third year at the company, Armin has progressed to become a broker and is an integral part of the Panthers broking team. He spends his day calling and emailing business partners to broke their clients insurance.
Training is an essential part of any apprenticeship. Armin has found his “very, very… informative. There’s constant webinars [and] the people are really good to speak to within the firm – and the insurer partners.”
Jenna has benefited from her training too. “The initial bout of training for me was really good [as] obviously as I knew nothing. The development that I had over time of what I was learning through the apprenticeship really helped with my day-to-day working life.”
The learning doesn’t stop when you’re through the door either. Jenna is receiving ongoing training in her current role and says “there’s always room to develop. Obviously when I started I knew nothing about insurance. As I’ve slowly gone up the ranks, I qualified in CII, and now I’m also the team leader of the Tigers team.”
Momentum Broking Solutions is far from your average workplace. And that’s thanks to the founding values, as set by Managing Director Howard Pepper, and Operations Director Hazel Westwood, back in 2010.
They turned the stereotypical view on insurance on its head. The boring shirt and tie 9-5 job went out the window. In came from the ideology to treat their people like family: giving them the day off for their birthday; and extra half day every month; and casual wear when in the office.
So what’s the best thing about being part of the Momentum team? Armin believes anyone joining has “a really good opportunity here. There’s been a number of apprentices and everyone loves it.”
Jenna agrees. “It’s such a great environment. The people here just make it. If you’ve got a question, the team are so willing to help. You’ve always got progression… and every day is a learning day, so we’re always learning something.”
…and if anyone should know, it’s Jenna. She “left briefly for a period in 2017 to try my hand at something different. I hated it, so I came back!”
We’re looking for more people – just like you – to join our team through our Apprentice Practitioner Programme. You don’t need to have a particular set of skills, just the enthusiasm to learn and positive mindset. It’s beneficial to have at least a GCSE in English and Maths.
Hear what Jenna and Armin (and more!) have to say about working at Momentum on the apprenticeship page of our website. You’ll also find a list of benefits if you join our team – and how to apply.