The Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO) has released its latest eLearning course, Property Foundations: Residential Risk. The course is designed to give new brokers a strong basis for understanding major categories of risk in insuring residential properties including electricity, solid fuel heating appliances, waterlines and drains. This three-part program is the latest in IBAO’s Foundations series, which includes a course on Statutory Accident Benefits.
“We wanted this course—and our growing foundational course series—to accelerate the development of newer brokers,” said IBAO COO Brett Boadway. “It often takes years to build up this knowledge by learning on the job alone. We’ve been working to attract new talent to the industry through our various recruitment efforts and want this new generation set up for success.”
Each module in this interactive course contains real-world broker scenarios with videos and quizzes to illustrate the practical application of the material. To promote long-term retention of information, the course includes printable exercises and summary sheets for each module that can be used for quick reference.
The course was developed by IBAO in collaboration with long-time facilitator Jo Anne Mitchell, CIP, Effective Training and Communication Plus. It’s a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive course designed to rapidly build up new brokers’ knowledge base. It covers all types of solid fuel appliances and all piping material found in homes, and outlines the differences in the types of electrical wiring. It answers many questions new brokers might have, such as:
- What’s the difference between PEX piping versus PCV piping? Why do insurers want to know what type is used?
- Based on the age of the home, what’s the probability it was built with outdated materials?
- What’s required to insure a solid fuel heating unit, and why do insurance companies classify some units as primary and some as auxiliary?
- As homes fill with increasing amounts of electronics, how many amps are required to power a modern home? Are current service panels sufficient?
The on-demand course is RIBO accredited for four Technical Hours. It’s $260 for IBAO Members and $360 for non-members. Brokerages interested in bulk enrollment can contact education@ibao.on.ca for pricing discounts.
For more information, check out https://www.ibao.org/residential-risk/
