In collaboration with the Graduate Institute of Financial Services (GIFS), the IIG Academic Programme is the first of its kind education initiative. The programme runs over a course of 12 months and sponsors individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds to acquire the skills necessary for employment in the insurance industry. The Graduate Institute of Financial Services (GIFS) holds multi -award winning and award nominated titles as an education provider and was nominated as the Top Empowerment Finalist in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The first candidates who graduated from this academic programme received multiple job offers from various leading insurance companies in South Africa. Look out for upcoming updates on the 2020 student intake, but in the meantime here are a few testimonials from some of our 2019 candidates:
Anele Nombanda
“The IIG academic program taught me a lot about the importance of education and giving all that you’ve got to make it to the finish line. Insurance is diverse and with what we learned throughout the year, we were able to apply the skills and experience at work. I am training to be a Portfolio Manager at Genric Insurance, it is a very challenging journey and very exciting as I am exposed to marine, logistics, health insurance etc. Learning the core business and being able to handle a portfolio taught me so much about leadership and responsibility. The Academic Programme provided integration with various organisations that enabled us to observe work ethic, the cultures within organisations and provided a broad view of how you as an individual fits within the industry. The Academic Programme assisted me in identifying how to use my strengths and improve my weaknesses for me to be successful in the insurance industry.”
Nontuthuzelo Ntwana
“As a former student of the GIFS Academic Programme I can attest that this was one of the most exciting experiences I have encountered, simply because of the fact that we were blessed to be taught by 3 different facilitators, we were exposed to different insurance companies within the industry and we had the opportunity to gain insights and information from various insurance companies. This has given us an in-depth understanding of how diverse the insurance industry really is. After previous lost opportunities, this programme has personally restored my hope and I ended up as one of the 3 top students in this academic programme – ‘some stars first need darkness to shine’. I am now currently an intern at Marsh and the learning continues! What an honor it is to be working for a such an amazing company and to be able to learn directly from people who have been in this industry for many years. The GIFS Academic programme taught me the importance of team work as well as accountability. To someone who is new in the Insurance Industry I would like to say: be involved, ask questions, do research, be hungry for success, let your results speak for itself and always stay humble.”
Thulile Vuma
“I have had an amazing journey on the GIFS Academic Programme, it has not only given me another perspective about the Insurance Industry but also taught me a great deal of insights and knowledge about insurance that I have never known before. I am very grateful for this opportunity! This programme as a whole prepared and equipped me for my career within the Insurance Industry and with the mentorship that took place during the programme it has given me a proper direction of who I am and who I want to be in the future. I have recently joined Marsh as part of their internship programme that they are running and I will be forever grateful for this life changing opportunity.”
