Rethinking the apprentice model in modern insurance with Movo
The insurance sector frequently discusses the need to bring new talent into the industry, a phrase that appears in boardrooms, recruitment campaigns, and apprenticeship strategies. Officials often stop short of asking the obvious questions: what do we actually mean by “new talent”? And who do we imagine when we say apprentice? At Movo Insurance, the chief executive has observed that the traditional picture of an apprentice as the school leaver or the 18-year-old entering their first corporate role is only one small part of the story. In fact, it is no longer the most relevant one.
Breaking the mold
For decades, apprenticeships have been closely associated with youth. While there are clear benefits to bringing younger people into the industry, particularly in building long-term careers, this narrow perception can hold the sector back. In reality, the most capable and high-impact apprentices at Movo are not young in the traditional sense. They are individuals who have built careers in other sectors, raised families, run businesses, and gained experience far beyond the classroom. These individuals bring something often missing in early-career hires: life intelligence.
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Their resilience, communication skills, emotional maturity, and ability to handle complexity are not just theoretical; they are lived experiences. At Movo, the firm has seen first-hand how valuable this shift can be. Mature apprentices often ramp up faster because they already understand how to learn, adapt, and take ownership. They bring fresh perspectives because they are not constrained by legacy insurance thinking. They also strengthen workplace culture through professionalism and accountability. Importantly, they challenge complacency by asking questions others have stopped asking. Many quickly progress into leadership roles, not because they are artificially fast-tracked, but because they already understand people, pressure, and responsibility.
If the industry continues to define apprenticeships too narrowly, it risks missing out on exceptional talent. The sector is already facing a shrinking pipeline of younger entrants and more complex customer needs. At the same time, there is a growing need for diverse thinking to drive innovation. Mature apprentices are not simply a nice-to-have in this environment; they are a strategic advantage. However, many organisations still design their programmes with the assumption that candidates are young, inexperienced, and require significant hand-holding. That assumption is outdated and limits the potential impact of these schemes.
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To future-proof the industry, leaders must stop treating apprenticeships as a youth-only initiative. They should start recognising them as meaningful career-change opportunities for adults with untapped potential. Recruiters should focus on mindset rather than age, prioritising adaptability, curiosity, and attitude over predefined career stages. It is also necessary to value life experience alongside academic achievement, recognising that both bring different but equally important strengths. Creating pathways that recognise and utilise transferable skills allows individuals to apply what they already know in new and meaningful ways. At the same time, the industry should actively celebrate the success of mature apprentices to help shift perceptions and inspire others to follow a similar path. Finally, we must challenge our own assumptions about what entry-level really means and move away from outdated definitions that no longer reflect the realities of today’s workforce.
