The BFIS Mentoring programme has gone from strength to strength in recent years. Not only do we provide mentors for all our scholars, but mentoring is offered to any student interested in a career in the insurance industry who approaches us.

Following an initial meeting to find out a bit more about them, relevant information is then passed on to professionals on our Mentoring list who select a student to mentor. 

Keen interest was shown from a number of professionals who learned about our Mentoring programme through a new Mentoring booklet recently distributed to companies around Bermuda. From this, we have been able to sign up a large number of new mentors so that any student wishing to get advice and guidance has the opportunity to connect one-on-one with a professional in the industry.

Our Mentor Committee does an excellent job of keeping on top of this process and though we have only been able to host some virtual networking events in the past two years it is our hope that we will be able to offer our first in-person event for college students in early June. This is an amazing opportunity for students to meet one-on-one with professionals in the industry who talk candidly about their academic backgrounds and careers and are happy to give advice and guidance as needed.

Interestingly in recent months we have been receiving numerous enquiries from individuals who are not traditional BFIS students/graduates. While our focus is of course on our high school and college students, at the same time it was felt that this group deserved assistance and so in mid-March we held our first “BFIS Seekers” Event, aimed at providing a networking opportunity to these individuals.

They come from diverse backgrounds, some being recent graduates in non-business related disciplines, others more seasoned professionals in a variety of different positions. All of them were looking to learn more about the industry, different pathways available for entry and to get a greater understanding of the different roles and responsibilities the (re)insurance industry has to offer.

The event was hosted at The Cloud at The Waterfront and the location was great to promote an informal atmosphere which led to multiple break-out groups and informed conversations with the professionals in attendance. It was generously sponsored by Ariel Re who also provided some professionals alongside members of the BFIS Mentor Networking Committee. It was a great first event and we plan to host similar events quarterly. If your company is interested in sponsoring the next event please get in touch!