3 min read 
| · 54 AXA UK employees attend the 18-month training delivered remotely by Avado
· It is the first-ever data academy spanning all divisions of an insurance business · AXA UK is upskilling and futureproofing its workforce to enhance customer outcomes |
AXA UK is investing £810,000 in learning to upskill and futureproof its workforce. Currently, 54 employees are enrolled in a data analytics apprenticeship delivered by professional learning academy Avado.
Showcased during National Apprenticeship Week (8 to 14 February 2021), whose theme is ‘Build the Future’, this initiative supports AXA UK’s transformation into a more insight-led organisation.
This is the first data academy spanning all divisions of an insurance business: colleagues from underwriting to claims, to human resources, finance, risk and compliance are enrolled in the 18-month programme.
Funded by the Apprenticeship Levy, the scheme is designed for AXA employees who haven’t previously received formal training in data analytics but can leverage these techniques to transform the way they perform their role. Combining virtual sessions, online study and individual work-based projects, the programme takes up 20% of the participants’ working time. The training’s core topics include:
- The data landscape
- Data preparation and essentials
- Data analysis programming and visualisation
- Advanced analysis and key concepts
- Data lifecycle and Big Data
- Customer centricity
- Innovation and ways of working
- Business strategy and planning
- Communication and influence
A specificity of the programme is that students are given real-life data sets to manipulate and real-life challenges to solve. This builds their confidence to use their new skills in their current and future roles. Upon completing this Level 4 apprenticeship in X, they will obtain a British Computer Society (BCS) Diploma in Data Analysis Concepts and Certificate Data Analyst Tools.
“Having led a number of large financial services businesses, I appreciate the challenges of becoming a data-driven organisation, but also the massive opportunities presented to those bold enough to take that step. Avado is a world leader in helping organisations build a digital and data-driven culture and we are incredibly proud of our data academy partnership with AXA UK.” Rob Devey, Chairman, Avado
“As an insurer, we have been leveraging data for a while, from underwriting to claims analytics. We know how crucial these skills are, and we are thrilled to be expanding these skills throughout the business so colleagues in various functions will be able to leverage data insights to support our customer relationships.” Shali Vasudeva, Chief Operating Officer, AXA UK & Ireland