Quebec insurers launch new centre to breed new talent for the industry

Eleven insurance companies headquartered in the Chaudiere-Appalaches region of Quebec are creating the Centre de developpement en assurances et services financiers (Insurance and Financial Services Develop Centre) as a way to ensure continued growth.
The board of directors for the new non-profit centre is comprised of the presidents of the 11 companies involved in the initiative.
The new centres main mission is to promote the many career opportunities available for young people, find ways to improve the English-language skills of existing and future employees, and tell people about the industry and all that it has to offer, says a release announcing the project. The centre will also focus on expanding joint projects between the insurers and educational institutions.
The companies note that in this region of Quebec, more than 8,250 people are employed in the insurance and financial services industry in various fields. Over the next five years, 3,000 new positions, not including normal turnover and retirement, will be created, the companies predict. There has already been a net growth of 2,700 positions over the last five years.
The more jobs we have here, the more spin-offs the critical mass will generate, Yvon Charest, president of Industrial Alliance and president of the centre, said in the release. To make this happen, we must ensure we must have the human resources we need to continue to grow here in the region with people from here.