Career focus: Loss adjusting
|
From international disasters such as tsunamis, earthquakes, and nuclear power station explosions, through to domestic issues such as the August riots and large scale motorway accidents, Loss Adjusters swoop in to help individuals and business get back on their feet. The profession is averting a crisis of its own however – the new talent challenge. With increasing international crises, UK loss adjusters are in growing demand – but is there the demand from people to start a career in the profession? For many people, a career in insurance brings up a vision of policies, paperwork and premiums. What isn’t appreciated is that a large part of the industry is dedicated to helping people recover from unfortunate events. Following an accident, theft or tragedy, loss adjusters support individuals in understanding what they can claim for from their insurance policy and then provide essential guidance so that the claim can be settled quickly. According to Malcolm Hyde, Executive Director of the Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters (CILA), being a Chartered Loss Adjuster requires superb people skills, the ability to remain calm when others have suffered life changing events and are justifiably confused and concerned. Malcolm comments, “The role is as diverse as it is rewarding. As a loss adjuster, one day you can be talking to a farmer about failing crops, the next you may be reassuring a family after their home has been burgled or severely damaged by fire. Helping people to get their business and or domestic life back together using a whole range of knowledge and skill is an everyday occurrence to a Loss Adjuster.” |
Jenny Barber |
|
It’s an essential role but the profession needs more people to choose it as their career. Malcolm provides an insight as to why the profession needs to continue to attract new talent. “Climate change has led to a greater number of natural catastrophes and with events such as earthquakes in Japan, New Zealand and Chile many Loss Adjusters are working abroad. However, it is not just the catastrophes that take Loss Adjusters overseas, our qualifications are recognised as the gold standard in the claims arena and therefore welcomed throughout the world. We are encouraging new blood to the profession and as Loss Adjusting firms have evolved they have wider opportunities for new entrants to take this profession on.” As with many careers, firms often look for experienced people to fill vacant positions, but with the challenge of making sure there are enough new loss adjusters joining the profession, firms are being innovative and offering alternative entry points, from apprenticeships, developed by the Financial Skills Partnership, through to graduate training programmes. Mike Odell, Head of Training and Development at GAB Robins, comments, “Loss adjusting is a dynamic and rewarding career but the opportunities it offers are not well understood - this has hindered progress in attracting new talent.” Like other employers, GAB Robins decided to proactively address the loss adjusting sector’s future skills gap by working with the Financial Skills Partnership to establish a new graduate training scheme. They have now successfully recruited six graduates through the scheme which delivers a challenging development opportunity and ensures that the graduates receive a comprehensive grounding in all aspects of the business and identify future career opportunities. Mike says that the company “believes the scheme will enable young talent to see the true potential on offer and to quickly build their experience.” Taking a different approach is Cunningham Lindsey. Louise Radford, Head of Centre at Cunningham Lindsey, says that the firm fully understands that there is a need to encourage people to gain a greater knowledge of the industry and get involved. The organisation’s response to this issue, and as a way to develop their pipeline of talent, was to set up and run their own accredited apprenticeship centre. Louise continues that the Cunningham Lindsey apprenticeship “can be delivered over two levels and really develops staff during their learning journey. We have also built a strong relationship with colleges around the UK, especially near our Cardiff Service Centre where we have been able to support students with training and work experience at our offices. It is this bespoke assistance that has helped the students with a context for what they are learning in the classroom.” These are two great examples of how loss adjusting is open to people with different level skills and qualifications, and how firms support individuals in gaining their professional status. Malcolm Hyde from CILA highlights, “Acquiring the knowledge takes time but the Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters provides a whole range of support and nationally recognised qualifications to people become a Chartered professional.” With more employers now looking at the alternative entry points, more new talent can be supported in gaining the right skills and qualifications to maintain a world class profession. A career in loss adjusting is a rewarding one that definitely requires your attention. For more information: |
|
