Creating Gen Z learning paths to build readiness and proficiency

Editor’s Note: This is the first article in a multiple-part series on attracting, retaining and building into the next generation of insurance professionals.

Generation Z makes up 30% of the global population and by 2025 is estimated to represent 27% of the global workforce. Realizing the growth in this cohort, the insurance industry must evolve its learning strategies to ensure Gen Z colleagues entering the field rapidly build readiness and proficiency in their roles. One way to achieve this is through the establishment of a clear learning path that leverages curriculum maps, assessments, and credentialing to guide the learning process, ensuring and encouraging new colleagues to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills.

Curriculum mapping is a visual representation of the learning objectives, content, and assessments required to achieve specific learning outcomes. It provides a roadmap for learners, enabling them to see the entire learning journey, from start to finish, and understand the purpose and relevance of each step along the way. A curriculum map also helps educators and trainers to organize content and assessments in a logical and coherent manner, making it easier for learners to understand and retain the material.

In the insurance industry, a curriculum map might include courses and modules on topics such as risk assessment, claims handling, damage assessment, appraisal and negotiation. Each module would have specific learning objectives and assessment criteria, and the entire curriculum map would be designed to ensure that learners acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to be effective insurance adjusters.

Assessments are an integral part of any learning path, as they provide learners with feedback on their progress and help to identify areas where further study is needed. Assessments can take many forms, including quizzes, tests, exams, essays and projects, and can be used to evaluate both knowledge and skills. By incorporating assessments into the learning path, learners can track their progress and identify areas where they may need additional support or guidance. Industry-specific assessments might include case studies, simulations, role-playing exercises, and real-life scenarios tied to policy and coverage limits. These assessments would be designed to evaluate learners’ ability to apply their knowledge and skills in practical situations, as well as their ability to analyze and interpret data, make decisions, and communicate effectively with clients and colleagues.

Credentialing is the process of verifying that a person possesses the knowledge and skills required to perform a specific job or task. Typical credentialing might involve obtaining a license or certification that demonstrates the individual’s proficiency in the field. However, it can be much more organizationally centric to establish a badging hierarchy that encourages learning and experiential growth. Credentialing can be used to ensure that new colleagues have met the necessary standards and are qualified to perform their roles effectively. It may also be used as a stage gate to move to the next level of career progression and, when branded as a company designation, can lead to a company-based program recognized as industry standard.

Creating a learning path

In designing a learning path for Gen Z colleagues, recognize they are digitally more astute than previous generations leading to being better informed with very different expectations. As such, key characteristics for learning design must include:

• Flexibility — Reflecting remote work and wellness interests combined with the need to manage their time and select a preferred learning delivery platform; let the learning journey include autonomy.
• Inclusivity — Gen Z values being part of a team and supports content reflecting diverse employees. Learning that celebrates every member will encourage advocacy and greater consumption.
• Intent — Demonstrate with transparency how the learning contributes to the greater good of the organization and its colleagues.
• Recognition — Showcase achievements with badging, public posts and other public congratulatory displays.

So how do you start building a learning path? Consider these steps:

1. Conduct a needs assessment to identify the specific knowledge and skills that new colleagues need to acquire. This can be done through surveys, interviews, focus groups and other methods.
2. Define learning objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.
3. Develop the curriculum map that outlines the content, assessments and learning activities required to achieve the desired outcomes.
4. Identify assessments to evaluate learners’ progress and understanding.
5. Incorporate feedback mechanisms on performance and progress throughout the learning path.

The learning path is a holistic means to document a program or role-based activities. For the insurance industry, they create a learning model that defines order, timeframe and expected outcomes.  At Sedgwick, we have leveraged this design to document career models to give colleagues and prospective employees a roadmap for career and professional growth. This type of transparent approach to career definition is embraced by Gen Z and typically shared within their networks. Ultimately, it becomes a great catalyst for hiring and retention.

Douglas Dell is vice president and director of Vale Training, a Sedgwick company. Contact him at Douglas.Dell@sedgwick.com. Future articles in this series will include building a readiness curriculum to address what schools have missed, specialized programs to build community and defining a career trajectory to encourage retention.

 Related:

5 ‘next horizon’ practices to help women excel in their careers

Job development and skills training key to employee retention