Like many other service professionals, registered Insurance agents and adjusters are required to stay up to date with the latest rules, regulations, and best practices of their industry through regular Insurance Continuing Education (CE) training. While each state has its own unique licensing requirements, all states require some level of periodic Insurance CE to maintain a license in that state.
Typically, a minimum number of insurance CE credits must be earned every two years. The providers of continuing education training must themselves be certified to train in the state in which the insurance professionals are licensed.
Insurance CE training has historically been offered in a traditional classroom setting or in hotel conference rooms. The licensee attends lectures which are followed by an exam. Once an exam is passed the results are submitted to the state's licensing board where the credits are recorded. A minimum number of credits must be passed within a two year period in order to renew their license.
There are certain advantages gained by learning in a classroom environment. Most everyone went through school in a similar learning environment and so it is a familiar venue. Insurance agents and adjusters can meet each other, network, compare notes and discuss the lecture. There are some disadvantages to this learning model however, which include:
• The costs associated with this kind of training are high due to the need to rent classroom space and hire a professional trainer, as well as the associated travel and lodging costs.
• Most classes are offered during the week during business hours, causing lost productivity.
• Completed course credits usually need to be reported by the trainee to the licensing board.
Insurance is a very competitive business. Time away from the office may result in lost opportunities or a backlog of work which needs to be attended to. To address these deficiencies, online insurance continuing education courses provide a number of advantages not found in the classroom, including:
• The training cost is much lower - often a mere fraction of the classroom version.
• Online insurance CE training is available at any time (including nights or
weekends). It's accessible whenever the professional has some spare time in his or her schedule.
• Students can move through course material at their own pace.
• Insurance professionals who are licensed to work in several states can fulfill their CE requirements at one time and place.
• Some online insurance CE providers allow unlimited test re-takes, until the candidate passes.
• Reminders of individual Insurance Continuing Education deadlines are sent via email to ensure timely completion of course requirements.
• Reporting of training credits to the licensing board is done automatically by some online insurance CE course providers upon exam completion (where this is allowed by the individual state).
• Companies that sign up for online CE training in bulk can monitor the training requirements and status of every licensed employee via the Internet.
Online training courses are typically delivered via slide presentation using a computers web browser. Most people know how to use a web browser and therefore require no additional training.
Some online Insurance CE courses now provide multimedia support that augments the presentation slides. Insurance professionals should choose an online Insurance CE provider that includes audio training as a complement to on-screen slides. For example, the audio can be downloaded as a "podcast" and the insurance professional can listen and learn while driving to an appointment.
If you are an insurance professional and are considering using an online provider to complete your insurance CE, you may be able to find special deals that offer unlimited courses for a fixed price. This can save you a lot of time and money, not to mention the convenience of being able to study at the location and time of your choosing.
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