A TEES Valley insurance broker has marked National Apprenticeship Week by hailing the impact a teenage apprentice is having on its business.

Eighteen-year-old Matthew Doak, recently became the first apprentice Erimus Insurance has taken on in its 25-year history. The youngster from Acklam has made such a positive impression that the Middlesbrough-based business is planning to take him on full-time.

Through a 12-month apprenticeship scheme with Middlesbrough College, he spends four days a week as the firms in-house IT expert at their offices in Riverside Business Park, while completing the final year of a three-year BTec Diploma course.

Erimus Managing Director Shaun Hughes said the student had helped to revolutionise the way the business-to-business brokers communicated with its 2,500 customers.

"Matthew has already made a real contribution to the business, as he possesses skills and IT knowledge that we were previously without," said Mr Hughes. "The world is becoming increasingly reliant on IT systems and he is opening up new possibilities for Erimus.

"Matthew is now a key member of our team as he is helping us communicate with existing and potential clients via social media, email marketing and web communications.

"It was always our intention to provide full-time employment to Matthew once he had completed his apprenticeship, but its a major bonus that he has made such an immediate impact. That is great credit to Matthew and to Middlesbrough College, where he continues to learn new skills"