When you hear the word "apprentice" do you picture Donald Trump and his television show, "The Celebrity Apprentice"? Or do you have a vision of the plumber or electrician who made repairs at your home?

Thanks to a new program established by Zurich Insurance Group, you might soon begin to look at apprenticeships differently. On June 9 Zurich announced that, in partnership with William Rainey Harper College, a community college in Palatine, Ill., the company has started an apprenticeship program to bring new entrants into the insurance industry. The apprentices will get academic credit for their work experience, and the classroom experience will be integrated into what they need to know as Zurich employees.

The U.S. program, modeled after Switzerland's highly successful national apprenticeship system, will draw on the successes of Zurich's pre-existing program in Switzerland. In 2014, 94 percent of those who had completed their apprenticeship went on to find employment within Zurich.