Hi Yvonne, can you tell us a bit about yourself?  

Sure! I'm 28, moved to Wales back in 2020 and currently live in the Valleys. I joined Admiral in 2021 and have been part of the Travel team as a Fraud Handler ever since.  

What does your role as a Fraud Handler involve and what do you enjoy about it? 

It involves a decent amount of detective work, from utilising social media, investigating documents, and lots of other channels to ensure no fraud has occurred. We often make calls out to different countries, and book interviews with our policyholders to get to the bottom of their claims. I really enjoy the variety of it all!  

Why did you become interested in doing a Cyber Security degree apprenticeship? 

I saw the degree apprenticeship opportunity being shared internally and was immediately sold. I've always wanted to do something computer based, and it crosses over nicely with what I do in fraud, it’s just more technical with the digital forensics element. Plus, it's nice to be able to have another go at university after the first time didn't go so well for me. It goes to show it’s never too late! 

How have you been finding it?  

It’s been really interesting so far! I'm only half-way through my first year, but I've already gotten some excellent results for the first modules which involved topics like Python coding, the principles of computer programming, and so much more. It's also been fantastic working alongside not just my colleagues at Admiral, but from other businesses as well and seeing their perspective on things. It’s helped me widen my understanding and that’s helped me in my current role.  

How’s the support been? 

I've been given a lot of support, namely I have every Friday dedicated to university work, which has really helped me to balance studies with work, and my manager and team have also been really encouraging. Not only that, but there's some excellent support networks at the university as well that I’ve been able to lean on.  

Have you noticed any improvements within yourself since doing the apprenticeship? 

When I signed up to the degree apprenticeship, I thought I might find it challenging to balance my studies with work. But, I've actually found that my time management has improved as I’ve been able to hone my prioritisation skills. Plus, I’ve been able to apply the new techniques I’ve learned through the course into my role which has made my confidence and competence grow. 

Do you have any advice for anyone considering doing a degree apprenticeship? 

My main advice is to make sure it's something you want to do, and then definitely go for it! It could give you skills that help you in your current role as well as any others you look to pursue in the future. I would look into what courses are available to you and have a conversation with your manager about which ones could be the best fit for your future goals. I did this and it made my future path a lot clearer, which was really exciting. 

We’ll always support our people to reach their potential, in whatever way works best for them. 

If you’d love to Grow & Progress in your career, join the Admiral team and have an array of opportunities at your fingertips!