Discover Risk

Attracting the best talent from education into insurance is a key function of the sector’s professional body, the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). 

The CII, which is the world’s largest professional body for insurance and financial services, with more than 100,000 members, launched the Discover Risk campaign in 2010, blending a website www.discoverrisk.co.uk and social media with interactive events. At the campaign’s heart is informing students and careers advisers about one of the UK’s success stories, and offering a student experience to build on this information. 

Just over a year ago we launched our free Discover Risk in-school event – a 90-minute board game for students to play in teams, competing for prizes and understanding how insurance plays an important role in film-making and oil extraction as much as cars and holidays. They also demonstrate key employability skills such as teamwork, negotiation and problem-solving. Every event features local employers, who share their insight and experiences with students. 

We have delivered sessions to more than 2000 students so far – we are delighted to see a 400% increase in interest levels from these students versus those who hadn’t participated. 

(We have recently launched a free Discover Fortunes in-school event, run in the same way as Discover Risk, to showcase the financial planning sector.) 

Insurance continues to thrive. The UK market is the world’s third largest and by far the largest in Europe. The City of London is the world’s leading international insurance market and wrote over $50bn of business in 2010. 

Insurance is a service that will always be needed, whatever the economic conditions. The last year has shown clear examples of its value, from floods in South East Asia to riots in English cities. Without insurance, businesses would not have reopened, homes would not have been rebuilt. 

2012 offers a high-profile example of the value of insurance – the London 2012 Olympics simply couldn’t take place without it. There will be a collection of insurance policies to cover all eventualities, such as the policy of more than £60m to cover terrorism during the games. We expect the total policy coverage to exceed £5bn. 

Insurance offers entry points for school-leavers and graduates. Apprenticeships are likely to become more popular as students seek a debt-free education, and graduate schemes will continue to attract some of the top talent from students across the country, looking to work in a sector that offers:

• Opportunities to travel and live abroad
• Significant earnings potential for high achievers – starting on £30k as a graduate and progressing to seven figures if a highly-successful broker
• A structured pathway to Chartered status – the pinnacle of professionalism

All roles in insurance, from broking to claims, require strong communication skills; then, depending on the role, the ability to negotiate, analyse and solve problems, influence, demonstrate commercial awareness and leadership qualities. If you have language skills, these could help your career take on a more international dimension.

The CII is celebrating the centenary of its Royal Charter in 2012, and our centenary manifesto has talent attraction at its heart. What better time to join one of the UK’s most robust sectors? 

19th January 2012

Sandy Scott, CEO of CII