Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship Future-Proofing the Insurance Industry

The insurance industry, while long established and respected has undergone some dramatic changes in recent years – it has moved away from its traditional stereotypes and become a fast paced, vibrant and diverse industry, with innovation and technology at its heart. While this progression was hugely positive, the recruitment of staff must keep pace with these changes. At The Insurance Institute we were receiving a lot of feedback from our members about how challenging it was to find the right people and while there was an abundance of opportunities, unfortunately there just didn’t seem to be the right talent to fill the positions.

In 2016, we established The Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship and it was designed specifically to address this skills shortage and also as a way in which to future-proof the industry. We wanted to create a robust educational and training programme that would be extremely appealing to ambitious individuals.

The three-year programme, which was Ireland’s first degree-level apprenticeship, offers apprentices the chance to study remotely from anywhere in Ireland while in full-time, paid employment in the insurance industry. Apprentices work their way towards a BA (Hons) in Insurance Practice as they gain invaluable, real-world experience.

For employers, The Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship presents an exceptional opportunity in terms of recruitment - it allows them access to a large pool of talent, while also enabling them to find employees who have a career mindset, rather than a job mind-set, something that is hugely important.

Over the past three years, the feedback from employers has been overwhelming positive, with many reporting that the apprentices are a completely different calibre of employee. Apprentices need to be highly motivated, ambitious and enthusiastic because working full time and studying is not easy, however as a result of these required attributes, the employer is adding an exceptionally dedicated employee to their business.

Many employers have also said that the apprenticeship is the ideal way to recruit, as it combines on the job training, with the theory through online learning, therefore apprentices are actively putting into practice everything from their studies on a daily basis. It also gives employers confidence to know that there is a vigorous training structure in place, which ensures the apprentice is at the cutting-edge in terms of learning and development.

The programme is open to all prospective apprentices, whether school leavers, college graduates or career changers; and prior experience in the industry is not necessary. The insurance employer interviews the apprentice just like they would any other potential employee and has complete autonomy over who they decide is right for the position. We are here to support in any way we can, and we would encourage any prospective employers interested in the 2019 programme to get in touch via [email protected]. For prospective apprentices they can log on to www.earnandlearn.ie to find all the information they need.

At The Insurance Institute we want to promote our industry, we want to ensure that we are doing all we can to attract, recruit and retain the very best talent. We feel the apprenticeship does exactly this, and we’re excited to see it continue to grow and develop over the coming years.