There is not much debate in the Surplus Lines industry about theimportance of recruiting and developing new talent into the ranks.Those in the industry mostly agree that it’s a pressing need, andone that is likely to become increasingly important in comingyears.

Most also agree that it’s a challenge that has to be tackledhead-on and with persistence and creativity to attract theattention of today’s college students. The question of how to notonly recruit and train the next generation of leaders but also howto help them leverage their potential are mounting concerns formany NAPSLO-member firms.

During the past year, NAPSLO has begun to increase its focus onthese needs, and one result has been the realignment of two of theAssociation’s committees. In late 2015, a decision was made by theNAPSLO Board of Directors to separate the work of the CareerDevelopment and Next Generation Committee, and the InternshipCommittee. This group of volunteers had traditionally led theeffort both in reaching out to prospective students around thecountry about careers in E&S and recruiting them to NAPSLOsummer internships.

According to Bob Greenebaum, Co-Chair of the InternshipCommittee, and Executive Vice President, CRC Swett, this divisionof labor has improved the work of both groups. “This is importantfor the future of our industry, and allowing the InternshipCommittee to really specialize and focus on that program hasimproved our process already,” he says. “The NAPSLO internship issought-after, and the process of selecting and mentoring thoseinterns is very time-consuming and one that we take quiteseriously.”

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Internship details

NAPSLO summer interns participate in a nine-week program. Thisyear 17 NAPSLO college interns each spent five weeks with aNAPSLO-member Surplus Lines insurance company and four weeks with aNAPSLO-member wholesale brokerage firm. The internship letsstudents learn about all aspects of the industry and understand avariety of roles and career opportunities.

“Earning a NAPSLO internship is highly competitive. Thisopportunity is very exclusive, and these students are really thebest and brightest,” says Mike Miller, Internship CommitteeCo-Chair and Consultant for Nationwide E&S/Specialty. “Thisprogram is great for the students because they get to workalongside company and broker mentors, but it’s also great for ourmembers because they get an opportunity to bring this young talentinto their firms. These are students who want to have careers inthis industry, and it’s a terrific recruitment opportunity for boththe students and hosts.”

NAPSLO interns begin their experience by participating in anorientation program in early June at the NAPSLO office. Thistwo-day program is an opportunity for them to meet one another,gain basic knowledge about Surplus Lines and learn about the softskills that are important for a successful internship.

“We think that the orientation program is time well spent forthe students so we can better prepare them to get right to workwith their host firm’s teams more immediately,” says Greenebaum.“This was the second year for this part of the program and we havereceived very favorable feedback from the students and their memberhosts.”

After working for the summer, eight NAPSLO interns were invitedto attend the NAPSLO Annual Convention this week in Atlanta. Thoseinterns are selected based on performance reviews from their hostcompanies and brokers as well as their assigned industry mentors.At the conference, they have opportunities to network and interactwith industry professionals as well as to participate in NAPSLO’sNext Gen programs. Based on interviews with members of theInternship Committee at Convention, two interns will be selected asthe J.H. Blades Scholar and Bermuda Scholar and will travel toLondon or Bermuda for three weeks in 2017 to learn more about thoseunique markets.

Since the internship program’s inception in 1981, Miller says ithas sponsored more than 280 interns and the committee’s outreachshows that more than 50% of the former interns are currentlyworking in the industry, with many employed by NAPSLO-memberfirms.

“Allowing the Internship Committee, and Career Development andNext Generation Committees the resources to independently pursuetheir goals and missions has been a real benefit for NAPSLO’soutreach to students,” Greenebaum says. He notes that these twocommittees’ work is still highly integrated and complementary, butthat dedicating time and volunteers to each effort has improved thecommittees’ workflow and ultimately allows the organization toreach more students in more varied ways.

“NAPSLO is working hard to help members do an even better job ofattracting smart, new talent to our industry,” Greenebaum adds.“There’s a great deal of opportunity, and we’re working hard to tryand have the next generation of professionals in place to fill thepipeline.”