The Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO) is pleased to confirm the launch of its Commercial Insurance Certificate Program, which prepares experienced Personal Lines brokers to transition into Commercial Lines. First announced at the IBAO Annual Convention, this eLearning course was designed to address a training gap identified by IBAO Member Brokers.

“Most commercial insurance expertise is held in institutional memory,” said IBAO Chief Operating Officer Brett Boadway. “That usually only comes through the transfer of knowledge from those that have gone before you—however, this course fast-tracks that process through a combination of technical content and structured mentorship-like opportunities.”

The course consists of seven modules, two of which require the learner to gather information from experienced coworkers to foster relationships and to familiarize themselves with the different areas of expertise of their coworkers they can draw upon in the future.

Other modules blend in more traditional learning, covering the specifics of commercial insurance, including details around risk exposures and financial information which are required to be obtained by a broker prior to going to market for a quote.

Available on-demand, brokers can work at their own pace and complete the program in 15-20 hours.

“Through a blend of videos, exercises and real-world examples gathered from expert brokers within the association, we’ve created an engaging educational experience that brokers couldn’t get from textbook-style learning,” said Kevin O’Hare, IBAO Education Supervisor & Instructional Designer. “Beyond providing an enhanced experience, this blended approach is what best serves a field as complex as commercial insurance, where it’s often not about having the right answer, but asking the right question.”