The IEA looks to help insurance professionals boost their writing skills

To an outsider, writing may not seem to play a large role in insurance, but those in the industry know it is fundamental to anything related to insurance. Even as the industry is increasingly digitized, every job still requires writing skills, and many jobs incorporate writing in their daily activities; for example, when a claims report is recorded or when the reasons for the calculation of a premium are listed.

Like any other skill, improving writing ability requires practice. The opportunity for insurance industry professionals to bolster their writing skills has never been easier thanks to the Insurance Educational Association’s (IEA) mission to continue educational opportunities for those in the insurance industry.

As a nonprofit, IEA serves more than 5,000 students annually with more than 300 online instructor-led courses, classroom educational services, seminars and customized in-house programs that focus on the insurance, risk management, disability and absence management industry.

Gina Magee, IEA’s CEO, has been in the insurance industry on and off for more than 30 years and has also spent time in the for-profit and nonprofit space. She has led IEA for more than four years.

“What was really appealing with IEA is that we are a 501(c)(3) and it really was able to let me blend my background and love of the insurance industry with my passion for being able to give back,” says Magee.

Related: Insurance careers: What do insurance professionals really do?

A unique kind of training

For more than 145 years, IEA has provided professional education by practicing professionals. Traditional subjects of training are aligned with designations relevant to property & casualty, such as the CPCU and ARM.

But over the years, “we began to hear more and more from our customers that there was a need for additional kinds of courses that go beyond training for an exam or training in concepts, that there was a real strong need for practical training skills,” says Magee.

The one-hour courses offered by IEA are online, on-demand and interactive. The course starts out with basic writing skills and towards the end gets to specific kinds of written forms that people in the insurance industry have to write on a routine basis, like a reserved recommendation or a recommendation about premiums. Most courses are about 10 weeks long.

Louie H. Castoria, a partner at Kaufman Dolowich Voluck LLP, as well as chairman emeritus of the board of directors of the IEA, says the program has “been a pet project of mine for years.” He adds that as chairman, he heard that what insurance companies, brokerage firms and risk managers wanted to see taught were more writing skills.

“This kind of training … is very unique and different, and to my knowledge, no one else is doing this for our industry,” says Magee.

For more coverage like this, explore our Careers in property & casualty insurance: What you need to know Instant Insights page.