How the global organisation supports their people

Allianz is an industry-leading financial services and insurance provider with 147,000 employees around the world serving more than 100 million customers.

When it comes to their people, they believe in creating a modern workplace and an inclusive culture that encourages all employees to develop and grow their skills. That means providing an agile, customer-focussed and collaborative working environment.

Allianz’s data literacy challenge

Allianz recognises that, in today’s fast moving and highly competitive market, data modernisation and transformation is key to the ongoing success of the business. There was a need to increase data literacy across the organisation at all levels.

Allianz needed a solution that would provide a top-down approach, introducing senior leaders to the importance of data. This would sit alongside a bottom-up approach that would provide future data experts with advanced data skills via apprenticeships.

How Avado’s data apprenticeship provided a solution

Allianz approached Avado to work with them as a training partner, and they chose the Level 7 Data Apprenticeship we offer. Six learners joined Avado’s pilot cohort for this programme. It would provide a structured 18-month long course of intensive upskilling for employees in data-focused roles.

This cohort’s learning was enhanced through Avado’s partnership with the University of Buckingham. With this partnership, Level 7 graduates were simultaneously awarded an Applied Data Science MSc from the University.

Alongside this, we also created a dedicated Data Leadership Bootcamp to introduce senior leaders at Allianz to the importance of data, allowing them to lead as data champions.

The impact of the Level 7 apprenticeship

The Level 7 apprenticeship provided a framework that allowed Allianz to upskill their people with a high level of education, thanks to the addition of the MSc.

Allianz was able to offer this programme to a diverse set of their employees, with different backgrounds in both education and professional development. Some were relatively new to the world of data, and others had years of experience.

For every Allianz learner, though, there was one common challenge: Covid-19. That, of course, brought many unexpected changes, like transitioning from in-person learning to fully virtual. But the completion of the apprenticeship showed how hard the learners were working, and was indicative of Avado’s efforts to make the transition as seamless as possible.

Through the learning, Allianz employees were able to understand and uncover operational issues, which helped the organisation better manage financial controls. They found more confidence when discussing new data-related technology, like machine learning and AI. They became better researchers and communicators, finding support networks in their colleagues.

Completing a Level 7 apprenticeship is an excellent development route that provides employees with professional skills and recognised qualifications. As Allianz continue to upskill their data specialists, the Avado Level 7 apprenticeship programme has become an integral part of that development journey.

What Allianz employees had to say

Allianz are incredibly proud of their 2019 L7 Data Science cohort. Each team member dedicated a great deal of time and effort to complete this apprenticeship, balancing their studies with the normal demands of work and lockdown challenges. Not everyone can say they’ve completed a Masters course whilst holding down a 9-5 job, so this is a huge achievement for their colleagues.

About Avado

At Avado, we believe that true transformation isn’t digital, it’s human. We build professional future skills to help diverse talent access and accelerate careers through award-winning learning experiences that deliver tangible and measurable impact. We upskill people, uplift culture and future-proof organisations in a fast-moving world.

Avado is proud to be a people-transformation partner to some of the largest and most innovative organisations in the UK including: Google, BT, NHS, British Airways, UK Civil Service, Legal & General and AstraZeneca.

To find out more, visit www.avadolearning.com