A FORMER apprentice is pushing ahead with his chosen career after he gained a vital professional qualification in near record time.

Tim Lodge joined Darlington-based insurance broker BiB in 2007 as a trainee before completing his Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) certificate in just nine months.

Having gained the qualification, he is now working as an insurance technician and working towards his CII diploma.

Mr Lodge, 20, from Darlington and who attended the towns Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, said: "I was delighted to get the certificate relatively quickly and I'm looking forward to furthering my career by taking the diploma."

BiB managing director Martin Littleton said: "As a company, we are committed to seeing our people develop and achieve the highest possible standards, so we are delighted that Tim has joined our growing team of staff with important industry qualifications."