CII seeking rising stars for flagship talent scheme

The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) has announced that it is now accepting applications from across the profession to join its flagship talent scheme, the New Generation Programme.

Class 2023/24 of the CII’s New Generation Programme will be made up of 40 promising professionals from claims, underwriting, broking, and the London Market. Each group will produce a project or initiative that could make a significant difference to the profession and will present it to the CII Board.

Projects under the scheme typically take six months to complete and involve collaboration with members across the country. Previous notable projects include a report regarding reputational risk in today’s social media culture, the implications of fracking in the insurance industry, and a feature on hybrid working in the London Market.

This year’s New Generation Programme includes three main highlights, including:

• An interactive session with key people from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
• Talks from members of Parliament and lobbying organisations in the insurance sector, in addition to a tour of the Houses of Parliament
• Training on subjects such as leadership and handling the media

The CII also released the necessary qualifications for the applicants looking to join the programme. These include:

• Must have made strides in their professional development, demonstrating a strong contribution to their team or department
• Likely to hold a minimum qualification of Dip CII level and five to ten years experience within the general insurance sector
• Must be CII members, working in either claims, broking, underwriting, or the London Market
• Applications from underrepresented groups in the profession are encouraged, such as women, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ members, and those identifying with both seen and unseen disabilities

CII chief executive Alan Vallance said that this year’s intake for the New Generation Programme will take the institute to beyond 500 participants, a “phenomenal achievement.”

“The New Gen programme continues to provide a fantastic opportunity for those early in their careers to take on a challenge that tests their ability and gives them the confidence to become a leader of the future. The programme is part of the CII’s broader effort to develop a pipeline of new insurance and financial planning professionals that also includes apprenticeships, T levels and the world-class learning and qualifications for which we are rightly known internationally. I am looking forward to meeting this year’s New Gen cohort and seeing the exciting work they undertake,” Vallance said.

The closing date for New Generation Programme applications is on August 7, 2023.

Speaking at BIBA recently, Vallance encouraged organisations to turn to apprenticeships more to attract talent and gain further diversity in the insurance industry.

What are your thoughts on this story? Please feel free to share your comments below.