Commercial Claims Handler Review
at Davies Learning Solutions
Level 3 Apprenticeship
Insurance and Risk Management
Stoke-on-Trent, UK
Review Submitted: June 2024
Overall Rating
3.1 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
2/5
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Overview of Role
2/5
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Skills Development
3.6/5
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Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
2/5
commercial claims handler - I work in real estate on behalf of a major broker and as such, work with a variety of insurers, each one has different procedures and philosophies as well as DA levels.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
2/5
I enjoyed the learning aspect but not the coaching aspect, there was no clear, linear process. I received contradicting information throughout, weeks with no contact and wasn't informed when my coach went off sick weeks before by gateway deadline.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
2/5
I learnt a lot about the insurance industry through the text provided, this has helped me to better understand the sector and make decisions around claims handling including the basis of calculating contribution.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
3/5
The program itself seemed quite well structured, although the first workshop was too early into the start of the apprenticeship. The first month was filled with online training surrounding British Values, mental health etc. and contained little insurance info hence, the workshop made little sense.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
5/5
I was provided with all the necessary time required, days were arranged for me to attend sites of large loss with an adjuster to familiarise myself with the process and overall, I received a lot of support.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
2/5
I fell behind in the first month as the instructions provided to me were unclear and lacking. I received a new coach 6 months in who advised that everything I'd done up to that point was incorrect. Information received was contradictory and overall, stressful.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
4/5
I think the books were the main source of learning for me but they were beneficial and I do feel like I now understand the basis of insurance more and can handle claims more confidently with a greater understanding.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
4/5
Yes, we have coffee mornings which help with Networking but also a lot of fundraising activities which help to strengthen relationships within the team and business itself.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Davies Learning Solutions to a friend?
No
Why?
I'm honestly on the edge because the qualification was beneficial but the process - contradictory information, lack of structure and support proved incredibly stressful. I had numerous meetings with my coach and manager to discuss process failings and still, the experience was simply poor.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Davies Learning Solutions?
Train your staff and ensure that marking is completed in the same way throughout, no matter who marks the work. As I had one coach marking all of my submissions as correct, only to then get another coach who was telling me that I was doing everything incorrectly and I was spending hours editing and resubmitting my work.
Keep learners updated and informed - I had a period of 3 weeks during which I was waiting for my marked work to be returned only to find out that my coach was off sick but no one informed me of this and I had 3 weeks left until gateway. My gateway was scheduled for 30/03 but didn't happen until 30/05 due to this. I didn't hear from anyone throughout April and then finally started working with the EPA coach in May. I was then left with a month to complete my case studies, professional discussion and exam which has been extremely stressful.
Keep learners updated and informed - I had a period of 3 weeks during which I was waiting for my marked work to be returned only to find out that my coach was off sick but no one informed me of this and I had 3 weeks left until gateway. My gateway was scheduled for 30/03 but didn't happen until 30/05 due to this. I didn't hear from anyone throughout April and then finally started working with the EPA coach in May. I was then left with a month to complete my case studies, professional discussion and exam which has been extremely stressful.
