Busy Insurance Professionals Now Have More Options When Deciding Upon An Insurance Ce Provider
Registered insurance adjusters and agents are required to maintain their professional standing by meeting the requirements of their industry. This includes maintaining proficiency in best practices and knowledge of regulatory changes through the completion of regular Insurance Continuing Education (CE) training. Each state has their own licensing requirements, but all require some form of continuing education to maintain a license.
Each state’s insurance licensing board usually requires a number of continuing education credits be attained every two years. The training provider must be certified to teach in the state in which the insurance agents are licensed.
Insurance CE training has historically been offered in a traditional classroom setting or in hotel conference rooms. The licensee attends lectures which are followed by an exam. Once an exam is passed the results are submitted to the state’s licensing board where the credits are recorded. A minimum number of credits must be passed within a two year period in order to renew their license.
There are certain advantages gained by learning in a classroom environment. Most everyone went through school in a similar learning environment and so it is a familiar venue. Insurance agents and adjusters can meet each other, network, compare notes and discuss the lecture. There are some disadvantages to this learning model, however which include:
• The costs associated with this kind of training are high due to the need to rent classroom space and hire a professional trainer, as well as the associated travel and lodging costs.
• Most classes are offered during the week during business hours, causing lost productivity.
• Completed course credits usually need to be reported by the trainee to the licensing board.
• Insurance is a very competitive business. Time away from the office may result in lost opportunities or a backlog of work which needs to be attended to.
Online insurance continuing education provides a number of benefits which address the shortcomings of traditional classroom training. Some of the advantages include the following:
• The cost of training is lower than a classroom based course. Often it is a percentage of the usual cost.
• Training can be undertaken at any time of day or night. One is not locked into being present at any particular time, allowing studying to take place when their schedule allows for it.
• Students can traverse the course materials at their own pace. Lessons can be revisited until all concepts are understood.
• Several online providers allow test retakes at no extra charge.
• Insurance professionals who are licensed in more than one state can receive their accreditation all at once.
• Many insurance CE providers report achieved training credits to the licensing board automatically, in the states where this is allowed.
• Individual insurance CE deadlines are mailed to the license holder as a reminder to complete their licensing requirements before the deadline occurs.
• Insurance companies that sign up their employees for training can keep track of training requirements and monitor the licensing status of each employee through a web interface.
Online insurance CE courses are generally delivered through presentation slides that are displayed in the user’s web browser. Virtually all computer users today know how to use a web browser. No specialized computer skills are required.
Several online providers provide multimedia support to complement the slide presentations. A professional looking to complete their insurance CE requirements should locate a CE provider that offers audio presentations to augment their training. These lessons can be downloaded to an MP3 player or transferred to CD and the learning can continue while the professional is traveling to work or an appointment.
As an insurance professional, once you have decided to use an online training provider to meet your continuing education requirement, it may be beneficial to find a provider that offers a training package deal where you can take an unlimited number of courses for one price. This can save a lot of time and money and will allow you to complete your training program wherever and whenever you find it convenient to do so.
