Keeping track of training at Norwich Union

Citation

(2003), "Keeping track of training at Norwich Union", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 35 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/ict.2003.03735dab.006

Keeping track of training at Norwich Union

Keeping track of training at Norwich Union

UK life and general insurance giant Norwich Union has trained its employees in new industry regulations set by the Financial Services Association (FSA), against a background of having recently merged with CGU – itself the result of a recent merger between General Accident and Commercial Union.

The merger meant that the resulting company – known as Aviva plc but operating under established brand names such as Norwich Union – was working with a number of inherited systems. Many did the same things, but in different ways and in various formats, so there was duplication of work, with the consequent risk of errors.

Norwich Union realized that it needed one, all-encompassing, tracking and compliance system that could not only cope with the demands of today's marketplace but also accommodate future growth, including mergers and acquisitions.

Norwich Union asked John Matchett Limited (JML) to write a tailor-made tracking and compliance system, to help to reduce regulatory risk.

The resulting system – known as the central administration and tracking system (CATS) – has helped to remove duplicated work, eliminate manual errors and automate many of the manual functions that existed previously. Moreover, it allows Norwich Union to provide key information about the knowledge, skills and competencies of its staff’that is required both internally and by the FSA to help to monitor activities efficiently.

The key individuals responsible for maintaining CATS are Norwich Union's existing compliance, and training and competence administrative staff. Information is provided to the company's salesforces, management and monitoring teams through reports and links to the Norwich Union intranet.