When you successfully complete your final exam in the CIP program, you may be anxious to know when you can begin using your CIP designation. Your grades are posted about five weeks after you write your final exam. You should receive a letter from the CEO of the Insurance Institute congratulating you on your achievement approximately 6 weeks from the last date of the exam session. Please ensure your employer is listed on your member profile for employment verification purposes.
Did you know that as a professional association, the Insurance Institute has a board of governors that meet twice annually—once in May for the IIC Executive Meeting, and once in October for the IIC Annual General Meeting? At each of these meetings, the board elects new CIP graduates; that means that after students successfully complete their final exam, they will be “elected” as a graduate at one of these two meetings. Students who successfully complete their exams in the stated exam sessions are permitted to begin using their CIP designation on the following dates:
• December exam session – June 1
• April exam session – June 1
• July exam session – November 1
Many students say that the information, skills and knowledge they gain from our courses enhance their confidence as insurance professionals. Specifically, students tell us that:
• Being able to mentor and set examples for others in the workplace exemplifies the positive impact of education on their career
• Having a designation increases their chances of being sought out by employers in the industry
• Employers recognize their dedication when they take CIP courses, and it often helps them advance in their careers
• Having a CIP or FCIP designation gives them credibility with their colleagues and clients
• Education increases their confidence and skills on the job
Click on the below pictures to learn more about how both you and your employer will benefit from your CIP.
Students have confirmed they use the broad base of knowledge they gain from the CIP program to tackle the everyday tasks they are presented with on the job. As you learn different aspects of insurance through the CIP courses, you will develop a broader view of the industry. Students have the flexibility to choose from the three areas of concentration—claims, underwriting, and broker—or focus on one or two career paths.
Many CIP students interact with clients on a daily basis. They tell us that the wide depth of knowledge they gain from the CIP program helps them understand both their organization’s and clients’ needs, and it allows them to approach their jobs with confidence in their skill and expertise. As one student told us, “the more you know, the more confident you will be and the more confident your clients will be in you. I have an industry designation and a diploma from a full-time college insurance program.”
Though your college diploma has given you a strong foundation for working in the insurance sector, the CIP designation is an industry standard which identifies you as having the technical knowledge and skills required to succeed in the industry—no matter where you are in the province, country or even the world! Consumers and employers can trust that the CIP program remains the benchmark of professionalism for the p&c industry. Industry employers are aware of the rigor of both the college programs and the CIP designation—meaning they also recognize your ability to focus and multi-task.
Students with a CIP designation have found it helps accelerate their careers, offers advanced standing for higher-level broker and independent adjuster licenses (in some provinces), and provides them with advanced learning opportunities and benefits through the CIP Society.
You may not know that the Insurance Institute and our designation programs arose from a need expressed by property and casualty industry employers, and it is because of this that the employer support of the CIP designation has been common practice. Employers in the industry tell us that they understand that the industry and its business requirements are ever changing. Investing in the professional learning of their workforce is one of the ways in which they can distinguish themselves amongst others in the insurance marketplace.
By supporting the CIP programs/designation, industry employers tell us they build a climate of engagement within their organizations that embraces continuous learning and professional development. This investment in human capital can not only help attract and retain talented, creative and motivated people, but also helps foster credibility among consumers and business partners.
When approaching employers, students have told us that they found it helpful to introduce the structure and learning objectives of the CIP program.
We encourage you to visit www.BeAssured.ca and show your employer the Conference Board of Canada report on the value of the CIP. This report is the result of the interviews of more than 1,000 p&c insurance stakeholders to assess the effectiveness and value of the CIP designation.
In addition, you can see what both current CIP students and graduates have to say about the Institute and the CIP in our National Education Week video.
Students are welcome to put their employer in touch with their local Institute or Chapter Manager for more information on the Institute’s programs and to obtain posters and postcards to distribute to staff members. We would love to help!
We've seen employers celebrate their graduates in a number of different ways, including attending Convocation ceremonies, gatherings in their offices, new business cards, recognition on the company's internal website, and sometimes financial rewards - along with much, much more. If your employer plans to or already conducts employee celebrations of graduates, please get in touch and let us know. We would be delighted to profile the event in local institute and chapter newsletters.
As a student, it’s reassuring to know that you are being taught by someone who is both knowledgeable on the subject matter, and has some experience teaching and/or training. All new instructors are required to take the Institute’s Instructor Readiness Series and many have completed or are working on the newly launched “Instructor Certification Program.”
Did you know that all instructors are required to hold a CIP/FCIP designation and have teaching, coaching and/or training experience, as well as one to two years of industry experience related to the course they are teaching? In fact, the majority of CIP instructors well surpass these criteria, including adult teaching qualifications, other industry designations, and have many years of experience and knowledge to draw upon. Students find instructors' real life experience immensely valuable because they can bring the content to life and share how it is used in the field. At the Insurance Institute, we are lucky to have a balance of experienced instructors and newer, more recent grads working together to provide the level of instruction needed for a positive and successful learning experience.
Students tell us that it helps to understand how the textbooks and course materials are written and updated. A team of learning and development professionals compiles the texts using technical material provided by curriculum advisory committees. These curriculum advisory committees lend insight into current industry trends and best practices. There are currently a number of projects underway to update and revise our course materials, and updates are prioritized by volume of students enrolled in the course. The Institute constantly reviews and revises materials in order to stay as up-to-date as possible. It is important to be sure you are using the most recent version of any text in the program; a list of current text book years and any revisions or addendums can be
found here.