FCCI Insurance Group

Colleen Berish

Building Adaptive Learning Experiences

As a life-long learner, much of what shapes my approach revolves around deep curiosity. I enjoy doing research, looking at what I don’t know and asking questions, which is one thing that usually drives my family crazy! This curiosity translates into creating learning experiences that are practical, mimic real life and can be immediately applied. The best part of the job is crafting a course or session so that people have a story with a problem or conflict and help learners solve the problem.

Even though I love to read and research, I realize it’s not a very efficient way to learn and apply. When I worked in IT, someone was trying to train me on writing code and I wasn’t grasping the concepts. Her response was, “This is how I learned it, so this is how you’ll learn it, too.” I vowed never to create a one-size-fits-all approach to training. I try to stay away from content-heavy programs and design problem-solving, practical application experiences which is where the learning takes place. And, finally, even though I’m not much of “group work” kind of person, I recognize there is so much value in having people share their own experiences and learn from each other.

Evolving Learning to Match Industry Demands

A skills-based training approach has become increasingly critical as the insurance industry continues to evolve at a rapid pace. Technology has changed not only how work gets done, but also which skills matter most. While automation has reduced the need for some process-driven tasks, it has elevated the importance of critical thinking, data analysis and human judgment.

Insurance has always been a relationship-driven business, especially on the commercial side, and those relationship skills are making a strong comeback. Today’s training efforts focus less on systems and processes, and more on risk analysis, explaining complex coverage or claim situations and guiding customers in understanding which products work for their situation.

Aligning L&D with Rapid Technological Change

Technology has played a significant role how L&D positions itself in long-term corporate strategy. People are used to searching for information and finding it immediately. AI has accelerated this expectation, and L&D must train people in effective uses of AI while also helping people navigate the change associated with it. In many ways, L&D is learning alongside the organization and building training solutions while technology continues to evolve.

"Seek out leaders who can help move the organization toward culture grounded in adult learning practices, where learning experiences are problem-centered, engaging and focused on building capability and driving behavior change."

At the same time, there is renewed focus on human skills that technology can’t replace, especially in an industry where relationship building is key to success. Providing robust resources around these skills helps prepare the next generation of insurance professionals. Another major trend is personalized learning, where training content is customized based on development goals or skill gaps.

As more companies adopt a skills-based approach to talent development and retention, this customized approach accelerates the learning process. Modern LMS platforms now recommend learning based on skills, enable expert knowledge sharing and support personalized learning paths. Additionally, technology has dramatically expanded the reach of e-learning and virtual instructor-led training, making learning more scalable and accessible.

Designing Learning That Changes Behavior

Training involves two components – the visible and the invisible. The visible is the provided content; this is “knowing” something. The invisible part shows whether that content creates capability or competency. Measurement remains one of the most persistent challenges in L&D. Meaningful measurement requires a shift in mindset and a more holistic approach, looking at multiple data points to see what drives performance.

A strong needs assessment and closer collaboration with business partners helps ensure that the right data is available to demonstrate impact and justify why training is needed. Our team focuses on more predictive, knowledge-based assessments and experiential learning methods that better reflect real-world performance. These methods include simulation-based challenge labs to demonstrate analysis and critical thinking skills and leader guides to help managers provide opportunities to activate and reinforce behavior change.

Transforming Training into a Performance Engine

My advice is to focus on maturing the L&D function so that the strategy is closely aligned with business goals and the learning ecosystem supports performance and long-term capability growth. The insurance industry, in all its complexity, is rich with content for most job roles but lacks creative approaches to training. Many in the insurance industry came from content-heavy, classroomstyle learning experiences, so it’s hard to change the mindset toward more flexible and effective learning models.

Effective training occurs in many ways - asynchronously, virtually with an instructor, self-guided, and without a 500-page book or endless quizzes to test knowledge. Seek out leaders who can help move the organization toward a culture grounded in adult learning practices, where learning experiences are problem-centered, engaging and focused on building capability and driving behavior change. While innovation may feel slow in highly regulated environments, it’s both possible and increasingly necessary to keep ahead of emerging trends in both the industry and the L&D profession.