Eaton County lawmakers were invited by IIM to visit the high school insurance program housed at Farm Bureau today to learn about the industry’s effort to attract young people.
Senator Rick Jones (R-Grand Ledge) and Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Potterville) visited with the high school students to find out more about the program which is a partnership between Eaton RESA (intermediate school district), The University of Olivet and Farm Bureau.
The program allows high school juniors and seniors to gain high school and free college credit for the class, which is taught by The University of Olivet Professor Dali Giese.
This is the fourth year of the program. The first year enrollment was nine students. This year the program has 19 high school students attending. When asked how many of the current students would be pursuing an insurance career now they have been exposed to the industry, 90 percent of the class raised their hands.
IIM sought to make the legislators aware of the program that will be expanding in the state with two new programs slated to start this fall, one at Pioneer State Mutual and the other at Accident Fund Insurance Company of America.
At the end of the visit, the lawmakers invited the students to come to the Capitol to attend a House Insurance Committee meeting and tour the building.
Next week, the insurance program will be featured at the Governor’s Education Summit in Detroit. The high school class is part of a campaign to attract young people to the insurance industry. The campaign also includes a website, www.insuringmifuture.org, which provides young people with information about varied jobs, insurance programs offered at Michigan colleges and universities and scholarships.
PHOTO: Senator Rick Jones (R-Grand Ledge) shares information about legislative activity with high school insurance students
Originally published in IIMpulse, a publication for members of the Insurance Institute of Michigan