Family run North East insurance firm celebrates 50 years with job and apprenticeship creation

Opening its doors in 1972, Weir Insurance is celebrating 50 years in the North East by creating job and training opportunities for local young people and donating to youth charities.

Local businesses have been coming to North East based Weir Insurance Brokers for decades to insure their businesses, and now husband and wife team Duncan and Karen Weir are thinking about the future generation.

Throughout 2022, every customer that successfully recommends another business will see a £50 donation made to one of three charities working across the North East region to help younger people. They are Teenage Cancer Trust, Shelter and one other local grassroots sport charity, which will change each month.

Weir Insurance is also creating several new jobs including apprenticeships and entry-level insurance roles.

Karen said: “Technology has changed the insurance world so much, so it’s actually a great career choice for young tech-savvy people nowadays. Two out of three small businesses have been targeted by cybercrime and this means the industry needs new talent that understands the modern business risks.

“The pandemic has led to many people working from home and remote working creates a new risk to business. Crime isn’t a physical thing anymore and data security throws up lots of challenges and risks we can help with.”

The firm has announced it intends to recruit five new apprentices over the next five years.

Karen concluded: “We have chosen to mark our fiftieth year by thinking about the future. As we grow, we will also support local charities that work with local young people. The generation that left school during the pandemic was the most affected, both in terms of job opportunities and interruption to their education and training.

We want to encourage them to consider working for a successful family firm in a vibrant industry that vitally needs their skills.“