Insurance industry SMMEs making a big difference in skills development

Sandra Dunn, INSETA’s CEO.

Learners and interns hosted by Charles Merrington Executive Financial Services, from left to right: Micheal Mthetwa, Delcine Moodley, Bernelee Kahn, Charles Merrington (CEO), Clarrisa Govender, Andrisha Chathargoon, Sasleen Pillay, Brightness Ndodana and Trevor Ncama.

Internship and learnership programmes at SMME’s creating employment opportunities for the youth in the insurance sector.

INSETA’s CEO, Sandra Dunn says, “We are thrilled to see more SMME’s partnering with us to improve skills development in the industry. SMME’s are the engines to grow employment, especially youth employment. Moreover, as every single one of our SMME partners will attest, it’s a win-win partnership – it makes business sense to host interns and learners. We owe our small business partners a huge debt of gratitude – we know it’s not easy for them to devote resources such as time and coaching and mentoring to the interns and learners, but they do it anyway!”

The Insurance Sector Education and Training Authority (INSETA), along with Charles Merrington Executive Financial Services (CMEFS) has designed internship and leadership programmes that provide unemployed youth in Amanzimtoti with valuable work experience and skills which will assist them to be more employable in the future. The programme started on 2 February 2015 and is almost halfway into its full term of 12 months.

Internship and leadership programmes

Charles Merrington, CEO of CMEFS describes the company’s very first experience with learners and interns as “exciting”.

“We are delighted to report that not only has it been a wonderful experience for us, but that the quality of the learners and interns in terms of work ethic, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn and take on whatever we have challenged them with thus far has been nothing short of amazing.”

Not only has the selected learners and interns benefited from their respective programmes, but CMEFS has too.

“We have also benefited from the fresh eye that they have brought to the business and will no doubt continue to do so as the rest of the year unfolds. We can only hope that we have been able to give to them, as much as they have given to us,” explains Merrington.

Following the advertising of the programmes, CMEFS followed a careful selection process. Interviews were scheduled with each applicant and the following was discussed and relevant to the outcome of each application:

1. The learner/intern’s mathematical ability/comfort
2. The learner/intern’s general career interests
3. The learner/intern’s willingness to study further
4. The learner/intern’s place of residence (traveling time and cost)

Skills that learners and interns have acquired which will make them more employable

The learners and interns have been placed in various finance divisions, some of which include Bookkeeping, IT, Tax, Wealth and Short-Term Insurance and Medical Aid divisions.

A variety of formal and informal skills and competencies have been acquired by learners/interns that will be valuable to them in the financial industry:

1. Working in an office environment and as part of a team
2. Dealing with challenges that arise in the office environment
3. Working with clients and learning how to treat/engage with clients on a daily basis
4. Understanding the full range of financial services
5. Exposure to the activities of each department and understanding thereof
6. Learning and applying the company ethos and values
7. Problem-solving skills
8. Computer and telephone skills
9. Managing projects and taking on responsibilities which have given them confidence and in-depth understanding of their respective department

The experience from the learner/intern’s perspective

“It feels like being a sponge in a pool of knowledge trying to soak up as much as I can,” says learner, Andrisha Chathargoon.

“I know where I am going now and for that I would like to thank INSETA and CMEFS for giving me an opportunity to start my life,” explains Brightness Ndodana, who had once lost faith in herself.

“Ability is nothing without opportunity,” says IT learner, Sphephelo Trevor Ncama. “If a person possesses the ability to do something, it’s a gift, but if there is no opportunity to show or apply it, it’s no use. Therefore, I give great thanks to CMEFS and INSETA for giving me the opportunity to showcase my ability through finance, client relationship and IT.”

“Charles Merrington gave me a platform to showcase my skills and apply my knowledge – I am truly grateful for this amazing opportunity,” exclaims bookkeeping intern, Delcine Moodley.

What the future holds

Merrington says there are a number of dependencies which would influence what happens after learners/interns complete their respective programmes:

• successful completion of the learnerships/internships
• the needs of the business in 2016 and beyond
• each person’s interest in pursuing a career in the financial services industry
• general behaviour and performance as employees over the full term of the programme (12 months).

“If permitted by INSETA, we may consider placing some learners on internships in 2016; we may also consider employing one or more of this year’s interns. In summary, there are a number of possibilities, depending on various factors.”