Robert G. Captain, insurance instructor at Grossmont College, El Cajon, Calif., was named the InVEST Teacher of the Year, announced the InVEST Board of Directors.
InVEST-which maintains it is the only education program that strengthens the insurance industry by attracting a large pool of qualified insurance recruits-is a national career education program administered by Independent Insurance Association of America (IIAA) to teach insurance-related business skills to high school and community college students around the country.
Captain began his involvement with the InVEST program at Grossmont College in 1990 and became the insurance instructor of the Office of Professional Training (OPT) program in 1992. Every semester, students graduate who are ready for insurance-related employment. Captain demonstrates leadership and initiative by acting as a liaison between the classroom environment and the insurance industry as he develops job leads and cultivates contacts that lead to internships and fosters mentor relationships for his InVEST students.
Mary E. Leslie, Ph.D., lead instructor for Grossmont College’s Office of Professional Training Program emphasized the difference Captain has made in the lives of many of the students, some of whom are single parents on welfare or laid-off workers returning to school to update their skills and change careers. Whatever the circumstances, Captain provides the theoretical and technical background those students need to enter the insurance industry, Leslie added.
Students of Captain’s have heard guest speakers from a variety of insurance occupations and have taken tours of many insurance companies in the region. Lectures are kept lively with realistic anecdotes and examples derived from more than 30 years of Captain’s insurance-related experience.
As InVEST Teacher of the Year, Captain receives $500 for classroom materials and $500 for personal use. Each year, IIAA local organizations and agencies nominate teachers involved with the InVEST program for the award. The winner is selected by a five-member panel of IIAA’s national staff.
InVEST’s curriculum introduces students to insurance issues and to the small-business environment through a simulation agency and relevant classroom criteria. An insurance program to further interest and understanding of the insurance industry, InVEST educates over 6,000 high school and community college students annually. Two-thirds of InVEST graduates enter the insurance industry following completion of their education.
Currently, there are more than 230 InVEST classes operating nationwide. The program is implemented in high schools, vocational centers, community colleges and adult education programs. It is funded by insurance companies and foundations that support bringing new and diverse talent into the insurance industry.
InVEST, www.investprogram.org, is administered by IIAA, the nation’s oldest and largest national association of independent insurance agents, representing a network of more than 300,000 agents and agency employees nationwide, web address www.independentagent.com.
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