“The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet”. – Aristotle.
This describes the experience of many of the learners for this year as they had to balance between work, life, and going through the programme online. From our interactions with them, it was evident that they went through a challenging time to complete this and they pressed on until they got over the finishing line.
Apart from arranging programmes for professionals within the industry, the IIG also seeks to find ways to inspire potential entrants through initiatives like this Academic Programme. Targeted at learners from disadvantaged backgrounds, the aim is to give them an NQF 5 level qualification as well as the necessary skills to make them employable. They had mentorship and workshops in-between which gave them the support they required.
It is another one of the successful partnerships between the Insurance Institute of Gauteng (IIG) and the Graduate Institute of Financial Sciences (GIFS). This year it has seen 18 of them successfully completing the programme. This would not have been possible without our sponsors, Bryte Insurance, Guidewire Software, Hannover Re, and SASRIA. A big thank you to their continued support to initiatives like these, which not only benefit the learners but works as a good investment for the entire industry into the future.
When the pandemic hit the country, we had to think of a different way of doing things to what the first programme had provided. Everything moved online and for good reason allowed learners from provinces outside Gauteng to also participate and benefit from it. This was truly a great way of turning challenges into opportunities.
The next steps in the programme are preparing the learners for an interview and CV writing skills as well as RE5 exams to give them a greater competitive edge in the industry. We will also allow companies to interview them so as to get a fine talent that this programme has produced. The previous cohort are all in the industry now and doing very well, and we have confidence that these will do the same
After all that has been completed, we will have a graduation day that will allow the 18 learners to celebrate their huge achievements as they worked under a lot of immense pressure to finally get the result they were looking for.
Here are videos from some of our sponsors giving their thoughts on the programme:
Some feedback from a few of the learners in these videos below:
Three powerful quotes that we believe sum up the reason behind we do what we do together with our sponsors:
“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest” – Benjamin Franklin
Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today. – Malcolm X
And as our own Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
The IIG Academic programme is sponsored by:
