FEATURES
AGENCY INSIGHT
The apprentice Meredith Messenger, VP of operations at Peter M. Bakker Agency, tells IBA about pioneering an agency apprenticeship program that’s the first of its kind in Connecticut
IBA: Tell us about Peter M. Bakker Agency’s new apprenticeship program. Meredith Messenger: The Peter M. Bakker Agency was recently awarded the first insurance agency apprenticeship by the Connecticut Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship Training. We’re working with the state and with Goodwin College, a private college in East Hartford, Connecticut, to identify where there are opportunities to partner and to really expose students to what the independent agency channel has to offer. This is something I’ve been passionate about for a very long time. It’s my aim to connect groups of people who want and deserve meaningful employment with groups of insurance agents who desperately need talent coming into the industry.
IBA: What makes your apprenticeship program so unique? MM: The apprenticeship program is unique in that it’s the first program I know of in Connecticut that’s geared more toward feeding talent into small-business independent agencies, rather than into the carrier side or the more corporate side of the business. In that respect, the program at Goodwin College is unique and special, and it can make a really big difference to the local community and to this part of our industry.
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IBA: Why do you think young people don’t want to join the independent agency channel? MM: I think there’s a perception issue. I think the independent agency channel, in general, offers some really great opportunities for millennials. Millennials are entrepreneurial, they’re looking to make a difference in their communities, and they want to make sure their voices are heard – and small business is great for all of those things. That being said, I think there are a lot of small and mid-size insurance agencies that haven’t adapted to the new world of work yet and don’t really understand what the next generation of the workforce is looking for. Independent agents and brokers have to really work on building a culture and an environment that’s conducive to the new working requirements. The businesses that can build that culture are going to be very successful,
because the next generation is very loyal, and they’re very committed to causes that they’re invested in. I think there’s a tremendous opportunity for future generations in the independent agency channel.
IBA: Why is it important for states to support agency apprenticeship programs like this? MM: I think it’s one of the only ways a program like this will really take off. The role the states need to play is dual. They have to help build the programs and place the students, but they also have to spend time with the agency principals and business owners to help them support and retain the talent they source through the programs. Not many small-business owners and agency principals have a business background. Many grew up as producers and got into leadership through being excellent salespeople.
ABOUT THE PETER M. BAKKER AGENCY The Peter M. Bakker Agency is an independent property & casualty insurance agency that has been serving the Connecticut area for more than 40 years. The second-generation agency offers a wide spectrum of personal and commercial insurance products, in addition to life and health insurance and financial planning services. The original owner sold the agency to Renaissance Alliance Insurance Services in 2017, turning it into the Connecticut-based hub for the independent agency alliance.
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