Sweet smell of success for Career Academy students at Haverstock School
Friday 16 December
Chocolate may not immediately spring to mind when trying to explain trade credit insurance, but it proved very effective when Kaz Layton, Account Manager at Aon Limited, spoke to a group of young business and finance Career Academy students at Haverstock Business & Enterprise School in Chalk Farm. Kaz was also there to offer advice on how to get started in the world of work using his own experience as an example.
In his explanation of trade credit insurance, Kaz used chocolate to grab the students’ attention. “As I was talking, I was throwing chocolate to various students. I went to throw chocolate to one of them but instead threw it behind me, upon which I asked him for payment for the goods. He said he shouldn’t pay as I hadn’t delivered. I argued that I had and needed payment. I then asked the class what they thought the matter was with that situation and who was in the right. To my delight they said we needed to check the contract.”
Kaz went on to tell the students that, at the end of his schooling, he realised he wanted a job but wouldn’t get one without qualifications, so, somewhat reluctantly he went on to sixth form and then university. After landing a job with Aon Trade Credit in Birmingham, Kaz described his initial frustration at not being able to progress as quickly as he would have liked.
Hard work and perseverance helped him to progress, earning him the respect and trust of his colleagues, which led to his promotion and a move to London.
Kaz gave the students an excellent insight into what was involved in his average working day and provided examples of how he dealt with particularly difficult client problems. He also answered many questions ranging from whether it was boring working in an office, to international opportunities, and even whether he was married! To the first he responded that sometimes work was boring but it was important to understand why you are doing something and how it fits into the grand plan. To the latter, he turned the question around by stating that family commitments were essential to think about when deciding upon a career.
Kaz said, “It was a great experience and one I would recommend any employer doing. Personally, presenting to a fearless audience really makes you think about the foundations your company is built upon. From a business perspective, these activities help to strengthen the talents of your staff.”
Guru Lectures like this form part of Aon’s support for education in local communities. According to Community Affairs Manager Sally-Coode-Bate “We believe mentoring plays an important part in the personal development of our colleagues, honing their presentation and communication skills and broadening their outlook as well as benefiting our local communities. To encourage participation, we offer as wide a range of opportunities as possible to suit individual levels of commitment, ranging from participation in one-hour lectures to half or single day workshops, or to regular weekly commitments, with both primary and secondary schools.”
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