InVEST, the insurance industry’s premier classroom-to-career education program, recently hit a huge milestone as it surpassed the 200 mark in the number of high schools and community colleges across the country that have embraced its financial literacy and career training program.
“Since it was founded in 1970 at Hollywood High School by the Independent Insurance Agents of Los Angeles, InVEST has been educating students about the insurance industry and how to become better insurance consumers,” says Heather Minkler, InVEST board chair and CEO of Clark-Mortenson Agency, an independent agency in Keene, N.H. “In the last 40 years, InVEST has grown to include more than 200 classrooms, has been hailed as an integral part of growing the industry and has expanded to also teach insurance agency and company operations.”
This financial literacy and insurance career program continues to grow exponentially. In less than three years, InVEST has grown from 68 active programs to more than 200 high schools and community colleges across the country, reaching more than 7,100 students. InVEST has changed over the years to adapt to evolving teaching styles, technology and trends. Free resources available to InVEST educators include curriculums, computer software, presentation kits and interactive games.
“With more than 60% of the insurance industry’s employees over the age of 45 and the need to find new talent becoming more apparent each year, the InVEST program is critical not only to the future of the independent agency system but to the insurance industry as a whole,” says Bob Rusbuldt, Big “I” president & CEO. “The Big ‘I’ is proud to continue to support this program as it lays the groundwork to replenish our workforce; it may be the program that ultimately perpetuates our industry.”