insurance industry.
“ Students don’ t realize you could be a geologist, and are needed in the industry,” she said.“ There are so many different fields you can major in and work in the industry. They’ re not all selling jobs. At Pittsburg State University, the school has an auto-collision degree program. Insurance companies go down there trying to recruit people all the time to work as insurance claims adjusters.”
Hermes said programs like this are vital to the future of the insurance industry, which is needing college graduates to enter now as an older generation readies for retirement.“ We’ re an older industry, and we need to bring in new blood,” she said.“ We need young, bright, energetic people to work in the insurance industry.”
“ With the exception of a few, very few people grow up wanting to be in the insurance industry. But it’ s a wonderful place. It’ s a very caring industry. If you care about people, chances are we can find something for you.
We’ re trying to bring the insurance industry to students, and show them it might be something they like.”
With the program still in its early stages, Hermes said officials wanted to make sure it was up and running successfully before offering it at other schools across Kansas. In the future, officials anticipate making the program available in the business school curriculums at state universities in Wichita and Emporia, but must first get over the hurdle of accreditation.
Next spring, the KU-Edwards campus will feature a property and casualty class, and by summer, PSU will have an introductory risk management course available online and on-campus.
Eventually, officials would like to have the program offered at some of the state’ s private schools.
“ We’ re really excited to have this program up and
18 KANSAS INSURANCE AGENT & BROKER | September- October 2016 |