European Roundup: Education initiatives

Agers (Spain)

The Spanish risk management association Agers aims to serve as a medium allowing risk managers to exchange ideas and experiences. Agers organises seminars that are aimed at both risk managers and people who are interested in joining the industry. The association is currently creating a group specifically for young people who are interested in risk management.

Agers has links with universities that support students who are doing doctorates in risk management. It invites students who are doing Masters or PhD studies in risk management to attend their conferences. It also provides a grant allowing a student to attend Ferma’s annual conference, as well making career advice available to everyone. Agers executive manager Mercedes Prieto told StrategicRISK: “The association has future plans to promote risk management to pre-university students.”

Airmic (UK)

At this year’s conference in Bournemouth, Airmic launched a mentoring scheme that is being co-ordinated by board member Elaine Heyworth. The scheme will enable people who are new to the industry to be mentored and guided by experienced risk managers.

All of the Airmic board members will be participating in the scheme. Heyworth believes it will be beneficial to both mentors and protégés, with knowledge, experience and insight being shared between both parties.

Heyworth explained that there is a lack of transmission of knowledge between experienced risk managers and young people beginning their careers. She suggested that this causes an employment gap between risk managers approaching retirement age and those coming up in the industry, which can make it more difficult to recruit young risk managers.

“Mentoring is something I am very passionate about,” said Heyworth, who has experience in this field having set up mentoring programmes at the European Professional Women’s Network.

Alarm (UK)

Alarm is a risk management association in the UK and offers free membership to students studying full time for a qualification in risk management.

This year, Alarm also offered complementary places for students to attend its Learning & Development Forum and has started building links with universities, working with course directors to circulate information on risk management.

Chief executive of Alarm Dr Lynn Drennan said: “Despite the huge budget cuts that are taking place in the public sector, we must not lose sight of the need to encourage and develop the risk managers of the future.”

Apogeris (Portugal)

Portugal’s risk management association Apogeris encourages anyone interested in risk management to attend their conferences. These conferences aim to inform and educate the association’s members and allow more experienced people in the industry to pass their knowledge on to younger risk managers.

“Younger people in Portugal are becoming more aware of the industry and I think we should increase the availability of training and courses in risk management,” said Apogeris secretary-general António Negreiros Fernandes. Apogeris is currently working on a full programme to encourage young people in this industry but this can be difficult for smaller risk management associations, which have limited budgets. “We will need a European solution for this issue,” commented Fernandes.

Carm (France)

The French risk managers association Carm encourages students to get into risk management by offering diplomas in the subject. The Carm Institute teaches a variety of modules on risk management, which consist of a series of seminars followed by an exam. Unlike France’s main risk management association Amrae, Carm concentrates on education and certification in risk management.

The Carm Institute, together with the teaching team of the Masters in ‘Management of global risks and crises’, puts on a series of free lectures on subjects that matter to the industry. These events allow students to mix with graduates of the Carm Institute and learn about risk management. Carm emphasises the academic side of risk management with the goal of promoting the Arm, Erm and Efarm diplomas and furthering research in the field.

Ferma (Brussels)

Ferma promotes risk management and insurance education in Europe by sponsoring students to attend its forum and seminars, as well as supporting universities in their own risk management programmes. Risk management education is one of Ferma’s main priorities, fostering talent within the industry and increasing awareness of the discipline.

Ferma invites one student – who must have completed some kind of educational programme in risk management – from each European association to attend its annual forum. This initiative motivates students in the risk management field and gives them an opportunity to create contacts within the industry.

In association with Ferma, Lloyd’s will host a development programme for risk managers with three to five years’ experience in the industry. Lloyd’s will host participants at the company’s headquarters in London in April 2012, October 2012 and April 2013.

“Ferma also supports the other educational programmes that our partner associations provide as they improve visibility of our industry,” Ferma’s director of education Edouard Thys said.

Finnrima (Finland)

The Finnish risk management organisation, Finnrima, emphasises training, education and ERM in the seminars it provides for its members. Finnrima provides scholarships of up to €2,000 for students in risk management and invites them to present their thesis at one of the association’s seminars.

“In Finland, studies are still based around insurance and finance. There is no integrated risk management programme … so risk managers often do not have a lot of business skills,” Finnrima president Lassi Väisänen said. The association aims to use education to grow the industry, improve risk managers’ key skills and increase their influence at board level.

Narim (Holland)

The Dutch risk management group Narim invites 30 insurance professionals from the Young Insurance Group to its annual conference in order to encourage young business professionals to take an active interest in risk management. Young Insurance is a group on LinkedIn for professionals in the insurance industry who are under the age of 35. The group was set up by Sjaak Schouteren of De NieuwBouw, which is an independent network for the Dutch construction and infrastructure industry. SR