To meet the high demand in the insurance industry CareerEdge Funders Collaborative and the Women’s Resource Center partnered with State College of Florida (SCF) to offer a three-week Customer Service Representative 4-40 License training at the Women’s Resource Center in Sarasota. With an Insurance Customer Service Representative License, individuals can earn an average starting wage of $16/hr. ($33,000/yr.).

  Participants were recruited from both WRC’s client base and through referrals from other community partner agencies. The 3-week class was delivered onsite at the Sarasota Women’s Resource Center and included soft skills training in communication and conflict resolution. Students ranged from 24-71 years-of-age and were matched with a WRC volunteer mentor to assist them with any challenges and to prepare them for the job search process. 

To date, 11 of the 12 students have successfully completed the 40-hour course and earned the highly sought-after insurance license, WRC has provided students with a variety of support such as resume development, Career Closet clothing, interview preparation, emergency financial assistance, resource referrals, and other related services.

 “WRC’s vision is to offer unique strategies and resources that encourage self-confidence, determination and a sense of place that not only will meet immediate needs, but also provide hope for the future. Programs such as the Insurance training pilot program do just that and serve to empower women on a life-changing career trajectory,” remarks Ashley Brown, President and CEO of WRC.

“We are thrilled to hear about newly-qualified applicants entering the insurance industry’s workforce. As our company grows, we’re always looking for savvy representatives to serve our clients,” said Austin Boyd from Boyd Insurance. “Knowing these applicants have been vetted by multiple agencies is extremely promising. This collaboration is a great opportunity for participants that could positively impact the insurance industry landscape regionally,” 

The 40-hour RCSR program was an online class delivered with a dedicated State College of Florida instructor over a 3-week period. Students attended the class Monday through Thursday with the instructor on-site on Monday through Wednesday. Upon completion of the course, students received a certificate as well as detailed instructions for obtaining the 4-40 insurance license. The Florida Department of Financial Services was also notified.