Jonathan Clark on the importance of mixing technical knowledge and interpersonal skills that creates competent and confident insurance professionals
Education and development of knowledge remain at the heart of all we do at the CII. So, it was a great pleasure to be up in Manchester and to hear about the brilliant work going on there to help members looking to get qualified. Not only some excellent continuing professional development events but also a fast-track ACII course to help members pass their ACII in two years. To quote their website: "In a two-year period you will receive 15 full days of workshops, three for each subject. There will also be one-to-one sessions with tutors and mentors to give you support and help as required.
"With this programme, you will be able to cut down on the amount of study time needed to crack the coursework, while working with a group of people who are going through the same subjects, and at the end achieving your qualification."
It is fantastic to see this idea being brought to action.
But the Manchester Institute is not alone in helping those looking to get qualified achieve their ambitions. In the London Institute a few years back, a mentoring programme was set up to help anyone taking their exams involving members who had recently qualified, as well as 'sponsor mentors', to provide the right mix of support and experience to help those individuals.
GETTING THE BADGE
Sian Fisher reminds me that, while it can be initially scary to put your knowledge up for independent assessment externally and objectively, what a gain it is when you get the 'badge'. And if you choose to go for the ACII, it is Level 6-recognised in the OfQual framework, which is no mean achievement in the world of other peers and friends' qualifications.
But it does not stop with achieving the qualification -- Cert, Dip or ACII -- we must all recognise the need to continue learning and developing. If we remain curious about the world about us, we can continue to develop as individuals and as part of the wider profession.
DEVELOPING TALENT
As I write this, I am heading out to take part in an event in Zurich, sharing knowledge about how global insurance programmes are developing. What is a great pleasure for me is that, in addition to offering some thoughts on claims handling in an international market, I have been asked to speak about the CII and the work we are doing to ensure we continue to develop the talent our profession needs.
Working together, we should not forget to train, teach, mentor, inform and educate our new talent
For us all, there is a balance of technical knowledge, business knowledge and interpersonal skills that lead to being a competent and confident insurance professional. The CII is there to help all of us create our own opportunities by getting qualified and by being a member you gain access to information, support and a network to continue learning and developing.
Working together, we should not forget to train, teach, mentor, inform and educate our new talent. In the process, we can maybe learn something new to help foster the trust in our profession that we all want
to see.
Jonathan Clark, president, CII