«Even while training you're in the thick of it.»

Who are you and what do you do at Helvetia? How did you get where you are today?

My name is Luka Stolic. I work in Helvetia's transport insurance department. I started my apprenticeship with Helvetia in the summer of 2014, and I got a permanent job here in the summer of 2017. After spending the first year of my apprenticeship in customer accounting, non-life, I moved to transport insurance – and I've been there ever since. 

Why are you with Helvetia?

That's a tough question. At 15 I found it fairly difficult to decide where I wanted to work. But I was already familiar with Helvetia, both from its advertising and by word of mouth. That's why it already meant something to me. So I applied, and then one thing led to another.

Can you tell us what your job is and explain what you did as an apprentice in just a few words?

The apprenticeship starts off with very general content. It doesn't necessarily give you an in-depth knowledge of insurance, it's designed to help you to find your feet, to learn the ropes – and every now and then you're given more responsibility. Later you go into insurance topics in greater depth, and as time passes you get to know the individual areas. I now work as an underwriter: I assess the risks of insurance policies and underwrite them accordingly.

What is interesting about your job? 

During my apprenticeship I thought it was great that I got to know so many people. Helvetia is a large company with a large network. I often travelled with other apprentices. We did an awful lot, and I thought that was great. I wasn't always in the same place, I saw lots and lots of things. That taught me a tremendous amount. Helvetia still has a fantastic network now, and in my current job I move around a lot – which is really fun.

What does &Go mean for you in your day-to-day work at Helvetia?

What &Go means to me is that it pushes me in the right direction. It's more than working by the book. You simply have to take one step further in your thinking. That's what &Go mainly means to me. 

If you were in charge, what would be your priority for Helvetia?

I'd go in the direction of digitalization, simplification – reviewing existing processes. Because there are a few things that lag a bit behind the rest. We really need to have people working on that, looking into the future for Helvetia.

What made you decide on an apprenticeship with an insurance company? 

I've had some great experiences, I've worked with superb people who are very professional in everything they do. Helvetia looks after its apprentices. I felt valued, even though I was so young. You're really in the thick of it, you're there, you're in demand – and in your day-to-day work you're part of the whole. I think that's really brilliant.

What was the most difficult part of your training?

The hardest thing for me was that at first I was rather shy. That depends on the individual, of course, but most apprentices are rather shy at that age, and they need a little time to be able to make a contribution. You're thrown in at the deep end, after all. But all that subsides after a while. It's the hardest thing at first. Some of the people you work with are older, and it takes a little time for everyone to get acclimatized to that.