Don't underestimate the value of a decent cuppa!

Covéa Insurance has teamed up with Calderdale College to support students with learning difficulties and disabilities to gain practical work experience and provide enhanced prospects of paid work.

In 2017, the insurer purchased a barista machine for the college, and paid for the accompanying training to give individuals who face learning challenges and disabilities, practical skills to improve their future chances of paid employment. This initiative aims to furnish pupils with work experience through undertaking a weekly shift in the college’s café.   The company is also promoting the café as a venue for its team meetings, creating a steady stream of customers for the students to try out and perfect their skills with.

Through its long standing partnership with Calderdale College, Covéa Insurance has worked consistently to provide students with valuable business skills through workshops, work experience and training, and has established a thriving apprentice programme.

The College currently teaches Employability & Life Skills to 36 students with learning difficulties and disabilities from the Calderdale area. One of their key priorities is equipping these learners with the skills to search, apply for and maintain meaningful paid work within their local communities, which will offer them an improved quality of life and social contact.

John Rees, Principal Chief Executive of Calderdale College, commented:

“It’s fantastic to see such great support from our students, staff and partners at the official relaunch of D Café. Special mention must go to the amazing team at Covéa Insurance, who have again gone the extra mile, this time to raise funds for a new Barista style coffee machine. Their support and enthusiasm for working with the College is tremendous and it’s something we truly appreciate. This latest initiative will provide fantastic work experience for our Employability and Life Skills students and will support their future progression into employment.”

Adrian Furness, Claims and Operations Director at Covéa Insurance added;

“We were absolutely delighted to be asked by Calderdale College to support the students in D Café with the funding for their barista machine.

As a committed employer within Calderdale, we are always keen to support initiatives that will benefit our local community, and the skills that the students will develop through this initiative will be invaluable for their career prospects going forwards.

We are very much looking forward to visiting the café over the course of the coming months and seeing how the students are progressing.

This is just one of a number of initiatives that Covéa Insurance and the college have worked on together, as we continue to broaden our partnership to help deliver a number of key initiatives over the next few years.”

Covéa Insurance is an expanding business, recruiting over 250 new employees in the last eighteen months, and no signs of slowing down.

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About Covéa Insurance

Covéa Insurance Plc is the UK underwriting business of a leading French mutual insurance group Covéa. 

Covéa Insurance is independently accredited by the Institute of Customer Service, with a ServiceMark Distinction for its entire UK operation. It also holds Chartered Insurer status for its Commercial business.

Covéa Insurance is signatory to the HM Treasury Women in Finance Charter and the Insurance Inclusivity Pledge, and has been named one of the top 75 employers in West Yorkshire & the Humber. Covéa Insurance is a multiple award winner in Diversity & Inclusion and Customer Champion of the Year, and for the fifth consecutive year, received 5-star accreditation in the Insurance Times Broker Service Survey for Personal Lines.