Bridging the Insurance Knowledge
Gap Through Mentorship

• August 1, 2026

By Jamie Behymer

The insurance industry is facing more than a talent shortage. It’s facing a knowledge transfer challenge. As seasoned professionals leave the workforce, they take their decades of experience and industry insights with them. They also take client relationship expertise and practical lessons that cannot be found in a textbook or training.

At the same time, many organizations continue to compete for new talent and work to attract younger professionals to careers in insurance. However, the challenge is not only to fill the roles vacated by retiring industry veterans but to educate the next generation. While training programs and continuing education play important roles in professional development, there is one resource that remains irreplaceable: the people.

Some of the most valuable lessons in insurance careers are not learned during online seminars. They come from conversations with experienced professionals who have navigated market shifts, handled difficult client situations, managed leadership challenges and made tough career decisions.

This is why mentorship is so important.

“Our industry has long run on relationships and access, and for talented people from underrepresented backgrounds, the absence of a mentor often means the absence of a door,” says Jason Rodriguez, agency owner of Prominent Insurance Agency. “Intentional mentorship closes that gap. It gives emerging professionals the knowledge, the sponsorship and the sense of belonging that no certification or résumé can provide on its own.”

“If we want an insurance industry that truly reflects the communities we protect, mentorship cannot be left to chance,” Rodriguez says. “It has to be something we build on purpose.”

There are benefits for organizations that prioritize mentorship. A Gallup study shows that 48% of employees who participated in mentorship programs, either as a mentor or mentee, reported high levels of job satisfaction, compared with 29% for those who did not participate.

“Mentorship is mutually beneficial,” says Robert Redden, vice president of distribution strategies at Selective. “While the goal is to support the mentee, the process also provides a fresh perspective and reinforces the importance of staying curious and engaged in our evolving industry.”

More than three-quarters (79%) of Generation Zers have never considered a career in insurance, according to a study by Cake & Arrow. As employees in the industry continue to retire, it is crucial to recruit new talent to backfill open roles.

Mentorship might be the way to reach this generation—83% of Gen Zers would like a workplace mentor, according to Adobe’s “Future of Work” report, but only 52% reported having access to one.

Every professional has something valuable to share, whether they have been in the industry for three years or 30 years. Likewise, every professional can benefit from learning from someone else’s experiences.

“Someone once made time for you, and the most meaningful return on that investment is to make time for someone else,” Rodriguez says. “Mentorship is how this profession sustains itself and how it becomes more reflective of the people it serves, and every agent has the capacity to be the reason another professional doesn’t give up.”

The future of our industry will be shaped not only by new technologies and emerging risks, but by the people willing to invest in one another. Mentorship is one of the most effective ways to make that investment.

Jamie Behymer is Big “I” director of diversity, inclusion and young agents.

If you are interested in growing your career, expanding your network or helping to shape the next generation of insurance professionals, consider participating in the Big “I” Diversity Council mentorship program.