Navigate. Educate. Celebrate.

Insurance education awareness, networking and career mapping take centre stage during National Education Month in February 2017.

The Institute expanded National Education Week to a month this year to accommodate the various national events promoting education and professional development in the industry.

Institutes in Atlantic Canada are joining forces to update their traditional essay writing contest with a new visual twist. Contestants are asked to submit a 2-3 minute video on one of three topics:

• A day in the life of ______ (fill in the blank). Examples include a broker/agent, underwriter, claims professional, risk manager, etc.
• How does a CIP designation influence your career?
• How do p&c insurance professionals give consumers peace of mind?

Weekly trivia contests are being held throughout the month testing the knowledge of p&c insurance professionals, with gift card prizes and personal pride on the line.

For those keeping pace with changes in the p&c insurance industry, a wide array of seminars and webinars are being offered, covering topics ranging from construction estimates to distracted driving.

Networking underpins many of the professional development activities available for insurance professionals in February. Local institutes across the country are meeting with insurance companies and their employees to talk about educational opportunities. In B.C., Institute instructors are coming together for a half-day professional development opportunity. And in Ontario, members will come together for social activities such as axe throwing and bubble soccer tournaments.

National Education Month is an ideal time to discuss careers with mentors and peers. Career mapping takes centre stage with the rollout of mycareer, a new Institute online resource available to help insurance professionals chart their careers within the p&c industry.

“mycareer gives employees the knowledge and tools they need to take ownership over their own careers,” says Pat Van Bakel, president and CEO of Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc. “It can help in both recruitment and retention. We look at it as another tool in the arsenal to unlock a person’s potential or talent, by bringing some of those career conversations to the surface.”