The National Insurance Brokers Association today launched a toolkit designed to give small and medium brokerages a structure for recruiting, onboarding and developing new talent.

The free Insurance Broking Internship Toolkit – developed through NIBA’s Insure Your Future initiative – follows the association’s Ready or Reacting? Shaping the Future of the Insurance Broking Profession research, which identified workforce changes as one of eight forces expected to reshape the profession by 2035.

While 67% of brokers expect workforce changes to affect the profession, only 58% believe their business is prepared or very prepared to meet them, the research found.

The toolkit details a three-month process, from advertising the role through to a final review and employment decision, and can be adapted for longer placements or permanent roles.

It contains 12 templates and guidance documents, including: an interview guide with a question set and scoring criteria; a candidate application form, written offer letter and unsuccessful candidate letter; an induction checklist and a two- to three-week induction schedule; a three-month learning plan covering induction, practical exposure and supervised independent tasks; midpoint and final review forms; and guidance on employer obligations, including pay, privacy and workplace standards.

“Our research shows brokers know the workforce is changing, and many are still working out how to respond,” NIBA CEO Richard Klipin said. “This toolkit gives firms of any size a clear, structured way to bring new people into broking and give them a proper start. Every intern who has a positive first experience is a potential broker for the decade ahead.”

Insure Your Future co-chair Steven Hill says the toolkit removes much of the administrative work that deters smaller companies from offering internships.

“Many brokerages want to bring in new talent but don’t have the time or HR resources to build a program from scratch,” he said. “The toolkit gives them everything they need, from the position description to the final review, so they can focus on mentoring the intern.”

The toolkit is available to download here.