55+
TRAINING PROGRAM TARGETS INSURANCE INDUSTRY JOBS
One of the exciting new projects that the
Cape
and Islands Workforce Investment Board (WIB) is sponsoring will train our 55+
population for careers in the insurance industry
.
Our goal is to prepare 25 individuals for careers as
Customer Service Representatives in the region’s insurance agencies
.
These are good paying jobs that the agencies find
difficult to keep staffed
.
The 55+ Committee of the WIB researched a number of
employment sectors to determine where a need existed that 55+ trained
individuals could meet
.
One
important sector of the local economy that surfaced is the financial services
sector, which employs over 4,500 individuals
.
We also learned that the financial services area contained a number of
institutions that were already employing significant numbers of older workers
.
In refining our search we were led to the insurance industry
for two reasons
.
First of all, there
is a large number of insurance agencies in the region (over 60), with over 800
employees
.
Secondly, we understood
anecdotally, that there was a significant need for Customer Service
Representatives (CSR’s) in the agencies
.
With this information in hand we wanted to gather further
information to make sure that these jobs were appropriate for a group of 55+
individuals to fill
.
So our next
step was to focus group a number of local insurance agencies
.
The results of the focus group confirmed the
information that we had previously surmised
.
There is a constant need for CSR’s on the
Cape
,
and many of the agencies already fill these positions with older workers
.
The focus group also provided us with a blueprint
of the type of training that would prepare our trainees for the positions
.
We further refined our understanding of the needs of the
insurance industry for CSR’s by conducting a telephone survey of the agencies
on the
Cape
.
Over half of the agencies shared information with us
.
This high response rate further convinced us that we have accurate, actionable
data that will lead to the success of our pilot program
.
The reason that we consider this a pilot program is that we
are seeking to develop a model that can be applied to other occupational
categories
.
We want to be able to
continue to provide the businesses in the region with valuable employees drawn
from our largest population group, the 55+ age group
.
So exactly what type of training are we providing? We have
started our first cohort of trainees on a rigorous computer training program
that will provide them with, at minimum, intermediate skills in the Microsoft
Office suite
.
This training will
ensure that our cohort will possess the requisite technology skills to function
at a high level in the modern, computerized workplace
.
In addition to this general computer training we are
providing very specific training on a computer software system that is
installed in many insurance agencies today
.
The system is called the AMS 360 system and provides the vehicle by which local
agencies communicate with the large underwriters who provide the coverage to
their clients
.
While this is not the
only system installed in local insurance agencies, it is one of about 3
available systems that are in use
.
The differences between the systems are less significant, we are convinced, than
the fact that our trainees are exposed to one of the major software packages in
use
.
We will also be providing our cohort with insurance specific
customer service training
.
What I
mean by that is that we will be embedding insurance nomenclature and concepts
into a program of customer service training
.
One of the great strengths of 55+ workers is that, in general, they are much
better suited for customer service jobs than younger workers
.
Their life experiences and empathy are valuable
assets in this type of work
.
We will also be providing our group with career transitional
training and counseling that will help them to better understand the dynamics
of the workplace, and their role in their new careers
.
National research makes us aware that not all 55+ workers transition easily
into new roles
.
We intend to provide
our trainees with “real world” experiences that will help to prepare them for
what they will face at the workplace
.
A project like this requires many individuals to be
successful
.
I want to thank the members
of the WIB’s 55+ Committee who have worked on these
issues for several years
.
Their
names are listed elsewhere in this publication
.
We owe a special debt of gratitude to State Senators Rob O’Leary and
Therese Murray
for securing $95,000 to allow us to
put our plans into action
.
The
Barnstable County Economic Development Council has provided a $25,000 grant
that is dedicated to the training program
.
Thank you to all involved
.
We are looking forward to providing 55+ employees for many other employers over
the coming years
.
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