’Virtual work experience takes away the barriers traditionally experienced by many young people,’ says manager

The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) has launched a new initiative aimed at attracting new talent to the insurance industry.

In a statement released today (2 August 2023), the CII said the virtual programme would see thousands of students aged 13 and over get the opportunity to work in the sector.

In turn, this will allow them to build an understanding of the skills and characteristics needed and help them make informed decisions about their potential future career paths, the CII added.

The programme will see participants take part in virtual modules, quizzes, activities, webinars, discussions and roundtables.

Claire Bishop, career partner manager at the CII, said: “This is an exciting new initiative that will bring the insurance and personal finance professions to life for thousands of young people.

”Virtual work experience takes away the barriers traditionally experienced by many young people when they are considering a profession or work experience.

”Giving many more young people, from diverse backgrounds, access to this programme for free will empower the next generation to take their future into their own hands and to widen the talent pool for our professions.”

’Great success’

This came after Florence Dennis, vice president of the CII’s Leicester institute, told Insurance Times that she was looking to “attract new talent” to the industry and hoped to make an impact by putting the “insurance industry on the radar” for the next generation.

The new initiative adds to activities already undertaken by the CII and Personal Finance Society to attract talent to the insurance industry, such as the My Personal Finance Skills programme, apprenticeships, T-levels and the Next Gen scheme.

It will focus on the insurance sector this autumn, while a personal finance programme will follow in early 2024. 

The CII said hundreds of students had already signed-up to the new programme and is targeting 3,000 students over the next four years. 

CII president Russell Higginbotham said: “I am delighted that the CII has launched this exciting new initiative, which builds on the great success of other programmes and activities that our membership bodies already run to encourage young people to join the insurance and personal finance professions.

“I hope as many schools and colleges as possible take the opportunity to give their students this terrific experience, which could help some young people discover a rewarding career path that they might not have previously considered.”

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