Industry Announces Need For Diverse Workers (NAPSA)—Finding a “reces- sionproof” career—one that’s less vulnerable to economic disparity—is a top priority for many American workers. Now analysts say one of the country’s major industries may help people from minority communities do just that. The property and casualty insurance pT] SOCIETY INSURING YOUR SUCCESS industry—faced with a graying workforce and increasingly diverse marketplace—is in dire need of younger talent, espe- cially African-American, Hispanic, Asian and other minorities. “We don’t have many people who understand the cultures of the large numbers of immigrants concentrated in certain areas,” says Marvin Kelly, who is currently serving as the first AfricanAmerican president of the CPCU Society, the professional association for chartered property casualty underwriters. “We have to become more diverse—not just becauseit’s the right thing to do, but becauseit’s good business.” Kelly explains that people interested in entering the field do not need to have backgroundsin insuranceor a special educational degree. “For any positions involving the sale of insurance, you need to train for and pass state exams, with the training taking a matter of weeks,” he says. “But there are many positions other than sales agents and brokers. For example, people can become underwriters, risk managers, claims adjusters or auditors, among others.” “We’re not nearly as diverse as we need to be and one reason is that people don’t understand that the careers we offer are extremely broad based.” @ Career Security Experts say the property and casualty insurance industry has a bright future, despite general economic woes. That’s because the products the industry sells— auto, home and business insur- ance, for instance—tend to remain in high demand in good times or bad. Additionally, most of the industry’s business comes from renewed insurance plans, meaning new sales generally aren’t needed to weather an economic storm. Getting Involved To broaden its workforce, diver- sity programs have become commonplace at casualty and property insurance companies. The CPCU Society, through its Diversity Committee and growth ofits international chapters, is making a similar effort. But Kelly says more needsto be done. “We’re not nearly as diverse as we need to be and one reason is that people don’t understand that the careers we offer are extremely broad based,” he explains. “The truth is our available positions cover the spectrum ofall kinds of employment.” For more information and a free careers booklet, visit www.cpcusociety.org and click the Diversity icon.
