What's Happening?

Facebook Twitter Youtube Linkedin

NEED HELP? QUESTIONS@FIA.ORG.ZA

become A FIA member TODAY
member login

IISA setting up sustainable skills development platforms

ARTICLE BY

  • Thokozile Mahlangu

SHARE THIS POST

The views expressed in this article are not necessarily those of the FIA. The article below was supplied by The Insurance Institute of South Africa.

The IISA is a professional body of the insurance industry whose objective is to advance and promote the pre- eminence of insurance professionals while acting in the interest of the insurance society.

The IISA has set a five-year strategy that aims to revive the purpose of the institute, which is to build capacity within the insurance industry through insurance skills development and exposure into insurance as a profession, thereby mitigating skills shortages, improving opportunities for employment and social security and making a sustainable contribution to the insurance industry and the economy.

The new strategy will be supported by the strategic pillars: Intelligent Education, influential Reputation, Sustainable Membership and Active Networking. In order to implement the strategy, a new vision has been adopted, which is to provide sustainable skills development platforms within the insurance industry.

Through various industry initiatives, and in the quest to fulfil its vision, the IISA aims to minimise the shortage of skills in the insurance industry, create tangible impact and transformation for the industry and our country, elevate insurance as a career, obtain international recognition for professional designations and establish strategic partnerships and collaboration with relevant stakeholders in order to ensure improved insurance skills development in Africa.

In delivering and serving the insurance industry, the IISA maintains its core values, which include Professionalism, Integrity, Teamwork and Innovation. We believe that these values will guide our service offering to the insurance industry and hold us to a quality standard that is acceptable to the industry we serve.

In the next three years, the institute will be on a drive to improve awareness and relevance of the insurance profession and create platforms for insurance skills development and continuous development. This will contribute to making insurance aspirational as a career choice.

Being a professional member of the institute adds value to the quality of skills and professional standards that are required for the industry to thrive. It is for this reason that one of our key objectives is to obtain international recognition for our professional designations. Our partnerships with educational organisations will further enhance the academic offerings that underpin our professional designations and establish common educational standards.

We will also be taking our service offering to the rest of the continent. Our Africa strategy will assist to mitigate skills shortages across the continent. The IISA partners with institutes and associations in other African countries to promote consistency in insurance skills development.

With the recent changes in legislation that impact higher learning institutions, it has become imperative for the IISA to move ahead with the establishment of the College of Insurance. This is one of our big audacious goals. In order to bring it to life we will be working with various partners such as SAIA, FIA, and FPI to mention just a few. The college will focus on delivering insurance training in a practical workshop format. It will also offer management development programmes and workshops for continuous professional development.

The IISA Learning Centre will continue to offer a variety of courses in insurance. In 2018 the services of the learning centre will be taken nationwide. These courses focus on qualification support for key insurance modules, technical insurance issues, introductory courses and hot topics in the industry. They are specifically designed to improve skills and subject-matter understanding.

It is through these initiatives and other industry collaborations that the IISA will realise its vision and continue to serve the insurance industry.

For further information on the IISA service offering, visit www.iisa.co.za.

 

Subscriber Terms and Conditions

  1. APPLICATION OF TERMS
    • These terms and conditions (“Subscriber Terms”) apply to the subscription by any qualifying member of the South African Underwriting Managers Association NPC (“SAUMA”) to the services and benefits offered by FIA Services (Pty) Ltd (“FIA Services”) under the SAUMA affiliation arrangement (“Subscription”).

  2. NATURE OF SUBSCRIPTION
    • A Subscription under this arrangement:
      • does not constitute membership of FIA NPC;
      • does not confer any voting rights or governance participation in FIA NPC; and
      • is governed solely by the contractual relationship between the Subscriber and FIA Services.

  1. ELIGIBILITY
    • To qualify for the Subscription, the applicant must, at the time of application, be a current paid-up member of SAUMA.
    • FIA Services will verify the applicant’s SAUMA membership status with SAUMA prior to activation, and may re-verify such status periodically.
    • If a Subscriber ceases to be a paid-up member of SAUMA, the Subscription will correspondingly be terminated.
    • Applicants are required to authorise FIA Services to confirm their SAUMA membership status with SAUMA as part of the application process.

  1. SERVICES
    • The Subscription entitles the Subscriber to the following benefits:
      • Complimentary access to the FIA CPD Platform;
      • Complimentary access to the FIA Insight Magazine (digital edition);
      • Advertising opportunities on FIA platforms at a discounted rate of 15% (fifteen percent) off the prevailing published rates; and
      • Invitations to attend FIA Technical Webinars annually.
    • FIA Services reserves the right to update, vary or substitute the Services from time to time, provided that the overall value and nature of the benefits remain materially the same.

  1. FEES AND PAYMENT
    • The monthly subscription fee is R260.00 (two hundred and sixty rand) for up to seven registered individuals (Key Individuals and Representatives), and R36.00 (thirty-six rand) per additional registered individual thereafter, excluding VAT.
    • The Subscriber shall provide FIA Services with the required details of each individual to be registered under the Subscription for the purposes of activation and billing.
    • All fees are exclusive of VAT, which shall be charged at the prevailing statutory rate.
    • Subscription fees are reviewed annually in March and may be adjusted with effect from 1 April.
    • Any changes to the Subscription, including but not limited to the number of Representatives and Key Individuals registered under the Subscription, may only be effected once annually during the annual review period in March of each year, with such changes taking effect from 1 April.
    • Subscription fees shall be billed monthly in arrears, unless the Subscriber elects an annual billing cycle at the time of application.
    • The Subscriber shall ensure that all billing information (including contact details, authorised signatories and bank account details) is kept accurate and up to date.
    • Non-payment of subscription fees may result in suspension of access to the Services until such fees are brought up to date.
    • The Subscriber acknowledges and agrees that all subscription fees payable under these Subscriber Terms may be collected by way of debit order, which shall be processed by the holding company, FIA NPC (The Financial Intermediary Association of South Africa), on behalf of FIA Services. Payment to FIA NPC shall be deemed to constitute valid and sufficient discharge of the Subscriber’s payment obligations to FIA Services under these Subscriber Terms.

  1. ONBOARDING
    • Onboarding will be conducted as a Subscription with FIA Services under the SAUMA affiliation arrangement.
    • Onboarding will not confer FIA NPC membership status or any associated rights.
    • Onboarding is conditional on confirmation of the Subscriber’s current SAUMA membership at the time of application

  1. DATA PROTECTION
    • FIA Services will process all personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) as set out in our POPIA policies.
    • By subscribing, the Subscriber authorises FIA Services to confirm their SAUMA membership status with SAUMA and to process personal information for the purposes of fulfilling the Subscription.

  1. TERMINATION
    • The Subscriber may terminate the Subscription by giving FIA Services one calendar month’s written notice.
    • FIA Services may terminate the Subscription on one calendar month’s written notice, or immediately if the Subscriber breaches these Subscriber Terms and fails to remedy such breach within 14 (fourteen) days of receiving written notice.
    • Termination of the SAUMA–FIA Services affiliation agreement shall not automatically terminate these Subscriber Terms.
    • Termination by the Subscriber shall not relieve the Subscriber of liability for any subscription fees accrued up to the effective date of termination.
    • FIA Services may suspend or terminate the Subscription with immediate effect in the event of non-payment of fees by the Subscriber.

  1. GENERAL
    • These Subscriber Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.
    • Any disputes arising under these Subscriber Terms shall be dealt with in accordance with the dispute resolution provisions contained in the FIA NPC membership terms and conditions, as modified to reflect that the contractual relationship is with FIA Services.
    • Any notices required under these Subscriber Terms may be validly delivered by email to the addresses provided in the Subscriber’s application form, and such notices shall be deemed received on the day of transmission if sent during business hours.
    • The Subscriber may not assign, cede or transfer any of its rights or obligations under these Subscriber Terms without the prior written consent of FIA Services.
    • No variation of these Subscriber Terms shall be of any force or effect unless reduced to writing and signed by both FIA Services and the Subscriber.