U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor Chris Lu and Zurich North America Commercial CEO Mike Foley joined a U.S. ambassador, Switzerland ambassador and industry representatives Feb. 2 to usher in a new apprenticeship program, held at the insurer's Schaumburg, Ill., headquarters.

Touted as the "first of its kind" in the U.S. insurance industry, Zurich's apprenticeship program, which began in January, is open to students at Harper College, located in nearby Palatine, Ill. Students will work for the carrier on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, working one year each in the claims and underwriting departments, while also going through shorter rotations in other company sectors, such as finance, risk or marketing. Apprentices are considered full-time employees, and are paid for their work.

At the same time, the apprentices will earn an associate of applied science degree in business administration at Harper. The apprentices will attend class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Zurich pays all tuition fees for each of its 24 apprentices. The carrier says it will hire 100 apprentices by 2020, and expects to roll most of its students into formal, full-time work once their apprenticeships are completed.