Serving as the president of the IIG has been the greatest honour of my insurance career. I felt the weight of steering a 110-year-old organisation safely through its 111th year but thanks to the support of the awesome IIG council and an energetic IIG office team the 2022 IIG year was a great success.
This year, I have the honour of being part of the support team that is helping the new president, Simphiwe Magangane, take this organisation to even greater heights. Under her stewardship the IIG is poised to make a lasting impact on the insurance industry in Gauteng and South Africa as a whole.
As part of this great ambition, Simphiwe has tasked me with being the EXCO representative of the Impact & Transformation team which is led by Wilmine Prinsloo (King Price). She is joined by Thuso Mafumo (Discovery Insure) & Aaron Mrabalala (Hollard). This team is responsible for our famed Roots & Wings mentorship programme as well as the IIG Class Of 2023.
For 2023 this team has also been tasked with resurrecting two highly impactful education programmes. The Academic Programme which is a 100% free learnership that serves as an entry point for matriculants into the insurance industry and the IST programme which is aimed at equipping IT specialists working in the insurance industry with the knowledge of the industry to allow them to use their skills to maximise their business impact.
To deliver these programmes, we have once again partnered with Graduate Institute of Financial Sciences (GIFS), who have put together a programme that emphasises both technical and personal development.
Incorporating the latest advances in neuroscience the IST programme shifts the thinking of the IT colleagues to ensure that they maximise their impact on the insurance industry. It is inarguable that information technology has the potential to revolutionise the insurance industry, but for this to be realised our IT colleagues must be empowered with an understanding of the industry, particularly, the challenges that can only be tackled with an understanding of IT.
Both programmes make heavy use of industry professionals to either, mentor candidates in the case of the Academic Programme or as corporate athletes in the IST programme. This market exposure grounds the learning in practical and real-world application which maximises value to learners. The Academic programme learners are placed in insurance companies upon completion of the programme where they can begin their insurance careers in earnest.
Both programmes have a proven track record of success with many alumni making an impact in the industry. Relaunching these programmes is a source of great pride for myself and the Impact & Transformation team. We look forward sharing more details about these initiatives in our various platforms.
The IST programme is sponsored by SASRIA and GIFS are the main sponsor for the Academic Programme. If you or your organisation would like to get involved with these, life transforming, education initiatives and earn BEE points for your company in the process, please contact the IIG office at info@iig.co.za
Article written by: Thabo Twalo
