European Conference Of The National Institutes For Professional Insurance Education

Turkish Insurance Institute (TII) has adopted enhancing the quality of human resources, contributing to employment and efficiency of the sector as its most prominent objectives since the re-structuring realized in 2007. Fulfillment of the objective has primarily required development of well-structured, high standard, innovative and up-to-date knowledge and competence based professional training programme. Being supported by the Association and unions of professionals’ groups, public institutions and senior executives of the sector in planning curricula and offering trainings, TII has recorded an extensive potential and a unique advantage to be a member of the European Financial Certification Organization (EFICERT).

Our Institute has obtained a privilege to engage in a network which allows many European professional insurance training institutes and insurance associations transfer the experiences and know-how to each other in defining proper training curriculum and methodology for the contemporary needs and expectation of European financial services sector. Moreover, EFICERT’s ongoing efforts to achieve a joint European certification enable our Institute to revise and/or develop our training programme in accordance with defined European wide standards which would result in professional recognition across Europe for those who complete our training programme.

The first training programme offering a European wide recognition has been developed to certify “Financial Advisor” and “Financial Planner” titles. Being a member of EFICERT favors TII to become the only authorized organization to certify these titles in Turkey.

On the other hand, achievement of uniform standards in vocational education has necessitated determining common vocational standards and qualifications for the occupations which are subject to certification. This necessity has resulted in defining the job profile as well as the knowledge, skills and competences requirements for the European Insurance Intermediary (EII) which becomes the first insurance related certificate.

Following the approval and release of the standards and qualifications for the EII, TII has developed a training module to provide defined learning outcomes enabling to meet the relevant requirements and the module has been accredited by EFICERT for a European wide recognition. TII has also achieved to grant the recognition of Turkish Ministry of National Education for its EII module.

The success of the EII certification in European insurance market has encouraged EFICERT to build a sectoral qualification framework and extend the joint certification to other insurance related occupations: underwriter and claims. Therefore, a working group called “IQ-COP 10” was formed with the participation of the insurance institutes or associations representing 8 European countries including Turkey.

TII has made a significant contribution to the determination of vocational standards and qualifications for those two occupations. Engagement of TII to the working group also enabled that the perception of Turkish insurance sector to the underwriting and claims occupations were taken into consideration during decision making process. It guarantees that training modules to be developed for those two occupations would also be in line with the needs and expectations of the Turkish insurance professionals.
In the near future, it is expected that EFICERT would extend its work to Solvency II related occupations such as Internal Auditor, Internal Control Officer and Risk Manager; and TII is determined to remain its active role in working groups.

Finally, TII was honored to host the General Assembly of EFICERT in 2011 in Istanbul. The General Assembly had a significant importance for us because Istanbul became the city where vocational standards and qualifications of insurance underwriter and claims have been presented to the members and approved its applicability across Europe.

Following the General Assembly, TII was also pleased to welcome many European insurance professionals and academicians at the “European Conference of the National Training Institutes for Professional Insurance Education EIET”. During the Conference, Turkish senior insurance executives and public officials presented the most contemporary topics in Turkish insurance market in line with the European insurance agenda.

This book provides you significant presentations and discussions from the Assembly to illustrate the work progress on the development of a sectoral qualification framework as well as interesting presentations and notes from the Conference to equip readers with further knowledge and ideas.

With Regards,

Prof. Dr. Suna Özyüksel
Manager
Turkish Insurance Institute