Insurance, People, Supplier, Technology, Training and Words
Wiser Academy has responded to the ongoing skills challenge in the insurance industry by introducing free ‘introduction to insurance’ courses to new starters.
The two-day courses will be held every month until the end of the year and will cover insurance basics such as regulation, risk, structure, claims, ethics and professional behaviours.
It is hoped that more than 500 people will complete the online course by the end of 2023.
Wiser Academy Managing Director Crescens George said, “It is a course designed specifically for new starters to broking, especially smaller brokers who don’t have their own training and development facilities in-house. We’re aiming for 50 people for each of the courses, and there is no charge as Wiser Academy is 100% committed to playing its part in encouraging people to make the most of their new career in insurance.”
He continued, “There’s a broader challenge for our sector in the shortage of talent at all levels in insurance, which tends to create wage spirals and companies taking staff from each other. Getting new joiners to kick start their career in a supported manner is vital means of keeping them in broking, and we hope the industry will respond positively to this new course.”
Environment, Insurance, People, Salvage, Supplier, Technology and Words
Copart UK emphasised the need for partnerships and collaboration in the insurance sector during a special programme assessing the UK insurance sector produced the ABI Annual Conference.
‘Securing Futures’ was produced by ITN Business to consider the work taking place within insurance and how the sector needs to evolve going forward.
Jane Pocock, CEO of Copart UK & Ireland, who featured in the programme, said, “Over the 15 years that Copart has been in the UK, we have worked incredibly closely with our insurance partners and more broadly in the sector. Our involvement with this programme demonstrates how we fully align with ABI’s ongoing advocacy and campaign work to highlight the role of the insurance sector in supporting customers and society. We are, as market leader, proud and honoured to have been offered this opportunity.
“With motor claims volumes increasing and large-scale extreme weather events becoming more common place, it is great to be able to raise awareness to both individuals and companies of the ways that the industry can support them.
“At Copart we provide trusted and valuable partnerships to the insurance, automotive, and accident management sectors, continually investing to strengthen our operational capabilities, transport, and technology to ensure that we can collect, process, and resell vehicles as quickly as possible with minimum disruption and economic impact.”
Bodyshop, Finance, Insurance, People, Supplier, Training and Words
Crash. Detect. Settle. Digitising the motor claims journey.
Reducing the claims journey is key to better customer service, greater efficiencies, and more savings. The benefits of beginning a claim with 24 hours of a collision are well-established – but what might the benefits be if the process was even quicker? Industry leader Solera will deliver a showcase webinar session offering viewers an insight into Solera Mentor by eDriving.
ILC event to tackle skills shortage
ILC has announced a new event that will shine a light on the skills gap within the sector and discuss strategies for overcoming it.
Headline sponsored by specialist training provider Wiser Academy, the inaugural ILC New Generation in Claims will take place at etc.venues Manchester on 26 April and is aimed at anyone who is either directly or indirectly impacted by a lack of new talent entering the sector.
The Data Act, which is currently under review, will offer users more control over the data generated by vehicles and provide third parties ‘fair and non-discriminatory access to this data.’
The new facility, which will accommodate all Truck and Luton Van repairs for key clients, increases repair volume within the group to more than 10,000 vehicles a year.
The committee is now inviting evidence on a number of issues around the reforms, such as impact on claims volumes and costs, and the effectiveness of the portal.
Steve Nash, CEO of the IMI said: “Although our sector continues to battle a skills shortage, it is tremendous to witness such a diverse wealth of talent across all our award categories.
People
Inspiro Learning has named Martin Darby as new Volkswagen Group Key Account Manager.
Volkswagen Group UK has appointed Lee Harrison as ADM Sales Channel Manager.
Kelly Oakley has started a new position as Resource Planning Analyst at Solus Accident Repair Centres.
Bodyshop, People, Supplier, Technology, Training, Vehicle Repair and Words
WorldSkills UK has announced its squad of 94 young people that will represent GB at the 47th WorldSkills Competition, taking place in Lyon, France, in September 2024.
Squad UK, comprising students and apprentices across 27 disciplines, will now begin an 18-month intensive training programme to prepare them for what is regarded as the ‘skills Olympics’.
Representing the UK are:
Autobody Repair
Ben Priestley – Riverpark Training
David McKeown – Riverpark Training
Ieuan Morris-Brown – Cardiff and Vale College
Car Painting
Dominic Everington – Steer
Training in both techniques and mindset will be led by a team of highly skilled instructors, industry experts, former medal winners and performance coaches, with the final team expected to be announced next spring.
WorldSkills UK Deputy CEO Ben Blackledge said, “This is a life-changing moment for the 94 members of our squad. They now face months of intensive training that will take their skills to a whole new level. They have done so well to get to this stage and are fantastic examples of the very best of our further education system, but the hard work really starts now as they prepare for international competition.
“These are such important opportunities to both raise the profile and prestige of UK skills and enable us to transfer the insights and best practice gleaned from other countries to drive standards at home.”
Environment, Mobility, Supplier, Technology, vehicle sales and Words
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has reported that one in five new vehicle registrations in January were plug-ins. It expects that to increase to one in four during 2023.
Latest figures reveal that hybrids comprised 14.4% of new car registrations during the month, increasing volumes by 40.6%, while battery electric vehicle (BEV) registrations rose 19.8% to reach 17,294 units, or 13.1% of new registrations.
Demand for plug-in hybrids also rose to account for 6.9% of new car sales.
This growth in the plug-in sector drove a wider market bounce, with new car registrations increasing by 14.7% in January to reach 131,994 units, making it the best start to the year since before Covid-19 and the sixth successive month of expansion.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, “The automotive industry is already delivering growth that bucks the national trend and is poised, with the right framework, to accelerate the decarbonisation of the UK economy. The industry and market are in transition, but fragile due to a challenging economic outlook, rising living costs and consumer anxiety over new technology. We look to a Budget that will reaffirm the commitment to net zero and provide measures that drive green growth for the sector and the nation.”
Meanwhile, UK new light commercial vehicle (LCV) registrations grew to 22,098 units in January, a year-on-year increase of 25.8%.
Bodyshop, Insurance, People, Supplier, Technology, Vehicle Repair and Words
Repairify has strengthened its technical sales expertise and enhance customer service with two key appointments.
Daren Nichol has been promoted internally to Technical Sales Executive for the Midlands from his position as Remote Technician, while Jamie Willis has joined from Solera as Technical Sales Executive for the South.
Gareth Newbery, National Sales Manager for Repairify, said, “These two new appointments bring extensive experience and technical expertise into our growing customer service and support network. With our big ambitions to continue to forge long-term relationships with businesses in the motor industry, both Daren and Jamie will enhance our team further, enabling shops to build their diagnostic and calibration expertise inhouse, supported by our range of tools and specialist services.”
Insurance, Mobility, People, Supplier, Technology and Words
AI video telematics specialist VisionTrack has launched a new solution that it believes can transform commercial fleet safety while reducing insurance costs.
NARA (Notification, Analysis and Risk Assessment) uses computer vision models with sensor fusion to assess footage of driving events, near misses and collisions.
These are then reviewed automatically, providing fleet managers with accurate analysis to better protect road users and help prevent collisions.
VisionTrack, which is part of Markerstudy Group, also believes the solution can reduce insurance costs by an average of £2,000 per claim detected.
Richard Kent, President of Global Sales at VisionTrack, said, “Our cloud-based NARA software is a true game-changer in the world of video telematics as it will help save time, costs and most importantly lives, by providing proactive risk intervention and accurate incident validation.
“NARA proactively removes false positives and monitors driver behaviour, without the need for human involvement. With traditional video telematics solutions, commercial fleets can be experiencing hundreds of triggered daily events, so this will enable them to deliver more efficient working, whilst not compromising on road safety.”
Bodyshop, Environment, People, Supplier, Technology, Training, Vehicle Repair and Words
Automotive charity AutoRaise is celebrating National Apprenticeship Week 2023 by attending a number of careers events to help showcase the sector to the next generation.
AutoRaise has been set up to address the skills gap by promoting the industry to new talent and then pairing apprentices with repairers.
As part of this, it will attend events at Emtec Automotive College and Retford Education Centre this week, while also sharing videos, testimonials, and insights from partners, affiliated repairers, and apprentices.
Vice Chair Steve Thompson said, “We are confident that the work we have done over the past few years has benefited repairers, young people, insurers, employers, training organisations, and other industry stakeholders. As we continue to get support from the industry, our position will become increasingly crucial over time. During this significant week, we are delighted to highlight the accomplishments and successes of apprentices who are currently employed in the sector.”
Environment, Finance, Insurance, Mobility, People, Supplier and Words
The ABI has revealed that average motor insurance premiums rose by eight per cent in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Its latest Motor Insurance Premium Tracker found that average premiums increased to £470, which is seven per cent higher than they were in the same period of 2021.
The ABI has attributed insurance inflation to greater cost pressures among ABI members, which include a £71.75 rise in repairs due to energy inflation, a 16% increase in paint and material costs, and parts delays which are affecting 40% of all jobs. Further, courtesy car costs have grown by 30% and the average price of second-hand cars has swelled by 19%.
Jonathan Fong, Senior Policy Adviser, General Insurance, said, “Every motorist wants the best insurance deal, especially when coping with cost of living pressures, and insurers continue to do all they can to keep motor insurance as competitively priced as possible. Yet, like many other sectors, insurers continue to face higher costs, such as more expensive raw materials, which are becoming increasingly challenging to absorb.”
Bodyshop, Environment, People, Supplier, Technology, Training, Vehicle Repair and Words
Businesses and individuals have been invited to register their interest for the 2023 WorldSkills Competition cycle.
The skills competitions aim to promote and celebrate the incredible talent in the sector through a series of regional, national and international events. Challenges are set by industry experts across a number of disciplines to test knowledge, practical skills and employability.
To date, 97% of previous entrants say they improved their technical skills after taking part and 93% said they improved their personal and employability skills. Meanwhile, average earnings among those who took part are 60% higher than those of comparable peer group.
