InVEST

Last night the national Young Agents Committee raised $50,825 for insurance student scholarships during its casino-themed fundraiser at the Big “I” Legislative Conference. Proceeds from the event, which also included a silent auction, benefit the scholarship fund for InVEST®, the Big “I” nonprofit dedicated to improving insurance literacy of students and attracting new talent to the industry. Scholarships are awarded to InVEST graduates planning to pursue insurance careers or studies.

 

InVEST, the insurance industry’s premier classroom to career education program, recently announced that Carol McClelland, CAE, has joined its national board. McClelland is the executive director of the Independent Insurance Agents of Nebraska (IIAN).

Is your InVEST industry liaison or InVEST teacher top rate—worthy of praise and recognition? Don’t forget about awards that that can benefit your InVEST industry liaison or teacher in your state. The Dach Award is bestowed upon InVEST industry liaisons dedicated to their InVEST students; and the Teacher of the Year award is given to an outstanding InVEST teacher who goes above and beyond to affect the lives of their students.  For more information on these awards or on InVEST, contact Jennifer Robinson (jennifer.robinson@iiaba.net) at 800-221-7917.

Want to fill entry-level positions? The Insurance Career Center is an online resource to help employers and job-seekers make career connections in the insurance industry.  Early career professionals bring fresh ideas and new energy, and can keep agencies current with modern trends and tactics. So post a job on the Insurance Career Center to reach this audience. Visit the Insurance Career Center at www.insurancecareercenter.org.

Of the more than 13,000 students enrolled in InVEST last year, only 122 applied for scholarships. InVEST has determined the information is just not getting to the students, and it is seeking volunteers to visit InVEST classrooms, with ready-to-go PowerPoint presentation and handouts, to encourage students to apply for the scholarships.

InVEST, the insurance industry’s premier classroom to career education program, is pleased to announce that EZLynx has provided its online rating tool free of charge to the hundreds of InVEST teachers, agent liaisons and students across the country. EZLynx enables students to enter information once into a single interface and receive simulated rates directly from participating carriers for automobile and homeowner policies.

In 1977, I was in an InVEST class at Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas. We were taught the basics of how insurance agencies and companies worked, as well as how to rate and type policies. As a part of the InVEST experience, I was given the opportunity to interview with an agency and they hired me. I graduated from high school on a Saturday and went to work for them on Monday. They allowed me to work part-time for them while in college, and I eventually became full-time. I now work for one of the agents who volunteered to be a guest speaker in my InVEST class.

InVEST teachers use the ACORD forms to illustrate risk factors important to insurance companies in the rating and underwriting functions.  Many school districts across the country have added a personal finance course to the class schedule and insurance is a key component of those classes.  ACORD forms help teachers bring  insurance to life and improves insurance literacy. 

InVEST, the insurance industry’s premier classroom to career education program, has announced that Denise Johnson has joined its national board. Johnson is vice president and insurance producer of ECI Agency in Piedmont, Okla.

InVEST, the insurance industry’s premier classroom to career education program, recently announced that Lindsey Shank has joined its national board. Shank is BB&T Insurance assistant agency manager in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Looking for bright young talent and coming up empty? Promote your entry-level jobs and internships on the Insurance Career Center. Your postings are automatically pushed to thousands of InVEST graduates, promoted to more than 100 colleges offering insurance and risk management degrees, and shared with other young talent looking to jump into the insurance industry.

The InVEST program awarded Bill Daniel, 18 year veteran William R. Boone High School teacher in Orlando, Fla., with the InVEST Teacher of the Year Award. Daniel has served as a teacher for more than 20 years, including 18 years on the William R. Boone High School faculty. He has led the InVEST Program at Boone for the past 15 years and is well-known for his enthusiastic approach to the financial literacy program.

InVEST graduate, Janie Ussery, is giving back by volunteering in an InVEST classroom.  Read about her experience in the InVEST program and how she chose insurance as a perfect career choice. 

It’s common for young professionals, like Hasson, to enter the insurance industry by chance, according to The Young Producer Study, a report produced by Reagan Consulting, which also produces the Best Practices study with the Big “I.” But the insurance agency business is “one of the best kept secrets out there as far as where young people can go and do extremely well,” says Bobby Reagan, CEO of the research firm that penned the young producers report in 2009. More agencies and brokerages need to work harder at attracting the next generation of producers, customer service representatives and agency managers, he adds. The insurance sales agent profession is projected to grow 22% from 2010 to 2020—faster than the average rate of 14%, compared to other industries, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Matrone’s mentoring and school-to-work program has brought his New England agency high-quality new talent over the years.

While you may remember what it was like to head to class when the new school year starts and worry who you’ll sit next to in English class or if you’ve worn the hippest outfit to fit in, students don’t judge the guest speakers that come into their class.

What in the world can we do to better get the word out about what an outstanding career the insurance industry can offer today’s talented young people? InVEST already has relationships with the schools it works with. All we need to do is guest speak and connect with students. InVEST also has resources to help agencies start internships so students can have the hands-on experience of working in the industry. I encourage you to visit www.investprogram.org; the interactive map feature will show you if there is an InVEST school located near you. If there isn’t a near-by school, don’t despair. The organization can walk you through the steps to contact either a local high school or college to get a program started.  Get involved today and share the successes of your insurance career and why young people too should consider insurance as a career choice. We desperately need more young people in our industry, and it is imperative that we get the word out.

It’s the perfect time to begin working with local insurance professionals to build interest and start making a plan for the 2012-2013 school year. InVEST staff is available to make it easy to spread the word about the program. Contact Jennifer Robinson (jennifer.robinson@iiaba.net) at 800-221-7917 for more information.

The InVEST Student Center, www.learninsurance.org, was created to provide intriguing information about insurance careers and concepts students may not otherwise think of. The newest addition to the ever-expanding site is a free Caliper personality test for InVEST students, which provides them with their best insurance career fit based on the outcome of their assessment.

The InVEST Silent Auction held during YAC Gives Back two weeks ago was a huge success, but there still remain a few unclaimed items that can be grabbed up by just the click of a mouse—all while providing scholarship dollars to InVEST graduates.

In conjunction with the Big “I”  Legislative Conference & Convention, the national Young Agents Committee hosted a casino-themed event and silent auction to raise scholarship funds for InVEST, a classroom-to-career insurance education program.  Silent auction bids coupled with direct donations and sponsorships raised more than $55,000 for student scholarships, all of which will be awarded to students over the next few months.

The InVEST program at Roosevelt High School is in its second year and has support from local insurance industry volunteers, including their liaison, Bill Allen of Travelers. Teacher Marcelina Pascuel and Allen have established a schedule for the students, which includes numerous guest speakers and field trips to local insurance company offices, claims centers and other offices.

Groton Middle/High School is a top-12 finalist in a contest that could mean a significant amount of new technology for education. The school was recently named a top 12 finalist in Samsung’s second annual Solve for Tomorrow contest. The school has a chance to be in the top five and receive $100,000 in technology.  One of the spots will be picked by online voting.  Help them earn money for their school.

InVEST, the insurance industry’s premier classroom to career education program, recently announced that Jeremy Chaseley has joined its national board. Chaseley is CNA assistant vice president, producer and product development.

Serve as a judge at this year's Virtual Enterprises International Citywide Business Plan Competition, which will be hosted again by Deloitte & Touche, Two World Financial Center on Friday, January 13, 2012 in New York City. The competition will highlight the enthusiasm, talent, commitment and achievement of our students as they make the transition from school to college to career.

The holiday season is fast approaching, and it’s a perfect time to have young, motivated talent intern at an agency or company.
 
Students are home for the holidays and eager to make a few extra bucks, all while expanding their network and skills. The Big “I” allows free internship postings on its Insurance Career Center to put an agency or company in front of driven young professionals.
 
Other insurance professionals have had great success in offering internships, and even hired the interns to work fulltime upon completion.
 
“I sought out hosting an internship as my business partner and I started our agency from scratch and needed some help along with our desire to get our name out there in the community,” says Michael Ludwig, principal agent at Strategic Insurance Services in Clearwater, Fla.
“We were really excited about our intern’s work ethic and motivation,” Ludwig adds. “He ended up coming back to work summers with us and was able to get his 440 license and started doing some selling. We were fascinated with his sales ability. Since then we’ve hosted two more internships and they’ve all turned out to be great experiences.”
 
To list a free internship posting, go to www.insurancecareercenter.org and click on “employers.”

Donate an item to the InVEST Silent Auction and support InVEST, the 501(c)(3) education foundation that educates students on insurance and financial services in high school and colleges. 100% of monies raised at the silent auction are added to the programs scholarship fund which provides assistance to InVEST graduates pursuing careers or degrees in insurance or risk management.

“InVEST is proud to announce Lynn Mathis has joined our distinguished group of board members,” says Heather Minkler, InVEST board chair and CEO of Clark-Mortenson Agency, an independent agency in Keene, N.H. “Lynn’s dedication to the industry through her leadership at the association level and as the principle of an independent insurance agency will be a huge asset to the InVEST board.”

InVEST, the insurance industry’s premier classroom to career education program, recently appointed Kelley L. Erstine to its national board. Erstine is CEO of the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina (IIANC).

The InVEST program awarded Bob Captain, an insurance executive with Barney & Barney LLC in San Diego and Grossmont College faculty member, with the InVEST Teacher of the Year Award. The program is a key driver to attract new talent to the insurance industry.

The opportunity for young people to launch into a lucrative career is soaring with 60% of current insurance professionals looking to retire over the next 15 years. Furthermore, the compounding threat of a changing market requires new perspectives and skills to navigate. To be competitive in the industry, one must understand the new and largest entrant into the workforce – Generation Y.

InVEST, the insurance industry’s premier classroom to career education program, recently appointed Peter Miller and Loren P. Shoemaker to its national board. Miller is president and CEO of The Institutes, and Shoemaker is The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company senior vice president and chief operating officer.

The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) Young Agents Committee (YAC) sponsored a successful casino night fundraiser titled “YAC Gives Back: A Benefit for InVEST Scholarships” in conjunction with the Big “I” Legislative Conference & Convention and the annual InVEST Silent and Live auction. Collectively, “YAC Gives Back,” the auction and direct contributions raised more than $48,000 this year.

Betters established the InVEST program at Charlotte Catholic in 2004 and since that time had taught more than 200 students the value of choosing an insurance career and how to be savvy insurance consumers. He took his commitment to InVEST seriously, both as an active board member and state champion, and he used any available opportunity to encourage other agents and schools to embrace InVEST, even volunteering his time to attend numerous conventions and training workshops to educate others about InVEST.

The InVEST program awarded Lindsey Shank, CIC, with the Dach Award. The Dach Award honors an insurance industry volunteer who has made tremendous contributions in fostering the growth and development of InVEST.
Shank is assistant agency manager and assistant vice president of the BB&T Insurance agency in St. Petersburg, Fla. She was an active and top InVEST student her junior and senior years at St. Petersburg Catholic High School. The school’s popular InVEST program is hailed as one of the top in the country.

The InVEST program awarded Dee Macheda of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York (IIABNY) with the Dach Award. The Dach Award honors an insurance industry volunteer who has made tremendous contributions in fostering the growth and development of InVEST.

As a reminder, the role of the state champion is to serve as a point of contact for national InVEST staff and be open to assisting other agents and teachers in the state when a new InVEST program evolves. The champion’s time commitment depends on his/her desire to grow the InVEST program in their state. State champions can simply assist in finding liaisons for any new programs in their state, implement new programs or even guest speak at schools in their area.

Rose & Kiernan Inc. and Travelers Insurance have committed $10,000 in scholarships for students at Hudson Valley Community College pursing insurance-focused business degrees.
Rose & Kiernan, an East Greenbush, N.Y. property and casualty insurance agency, partnered with Travelers to provide two $1,000 scholarships per year for the next five years. The first scholarships will be awarded in December 2009 to new students seeking an associate’s degree in business administration with an insurance focus.

Thirty-eight students enrolled in the InVEST program viewed their career potential recently, as they toured the suburban Syracuse offices of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York, Inc.  The young visitors spoke with more than 30 employees of IIABNY, a statewide insurance trade association, and discovered that employment in the insurance industry ranges from Web development to education, as well as sales and customer service. Laid to rest that day were many misconceptions of risk management, while new career opportunities in the insurance industry were born.

Marvin Kelly, president of the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter Society says the insurance industry needs to diversify its ranks, adding more young people and minorities, and wants his organization to lead the charge. The CPCU Society’s recent demographic study of its membership found that more than 84% are over the age of 40, Kelly said. It also found 1.9% are African-Americans, 1.7% are Hispanic and 1.4% are Asian. Kelly is proposing new programs for the CPCU Society and its members.

One is a 30-year-old program called Project InVEST, supported by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, which involves professionals going to high schools and colleges teaching them about the industry as well as job shadowing at insurance agencies.

The insurance industry will need to find approximately 90,000 people a year to fill new positions or positions opened up due to retirement. The War for Talent is starting, and the industry needs to prepare for battle if it plans on growing and thriving in the future. InVEST has proven to be a dynamic force that is helping the industry win this war.  Click here for the entire article
 

Young Industry Talent
At the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America’s Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., Insurance Journal covered a young agent’s panel where carrier executives discussed issues facing young agents today. Cynthia Young, president of Encompass Insurance Co., says supporting, training and recruiting new talent into the insurance industry and the agency system is everyone’s concern. She says carriers are helping but more can be done. The Hartford’s Neal Wolin says that while recruiting new talent into the insurance industry may be a challenge, once young professionals enter the business they usually stay.