It’s that time of year again. Christmas has been and gone and with cold weather and empty bank accounts, it can be difficult to maintain a positive outlook and mind-set. January can be so tough that marketers have even created a day to commemorate it – Blue Monday. But what happens when we’re still feeling down, tired and stressed even after Blue Monday has occurred? If this sounds familiar, you could be suffering from burnout.

The Insurance Institute are delighted to announce on behalf of their Local Institute President’s that we are partnering with Business in the Community Ireland on their Time to Read initiative – a wonderful programme that sees volunteers give their time to provide one to one reading support for young children (aged between 7-8 years old) in a local primary school, with the aim of helping them become more confident and proficient readers.

These past 18 months have tested almost everyone’s mental well-being. Mental health issues are on the rise, with people who may never have experienced anxiety or a mood related disorder in the past now finding themselves struggling to cope. We spoke with two mental health experts (both working with Aware) to find out how to practically address these issues and how to build mental resilience.

The Insurance Institute is the first educational body in Ireland to use Quitch, a gamified mobile e-learning app that aims to change the way learners engage with knowledge. The app was created by Dr. Grainne Oates, an accounting lecturer (from Ireland living in Australia) and when piloted with students last year, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive with many crediting it with helping them to better retain knowledge and in turn achieve greater success in their exams. 

Our CEO Dermot Murray was delighted to have the opportunity recently to chat with Minister Niall Collins about the great work he and his department are doing in the area of apprenticeships. This is part 2 of this series - you can read part 1 here. 

The Higher Diploma in Insurance Management is our advanced qualification and a Level 8 programme on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). If you're interested in applying for the programme or just want to learn more, read on for some FAQs on how it works!

You asked. We listened. They heard! We were recently awarded ‘Best Online Learning Experience’ at the Education Awards. We couldn’t be prouder to receive the accolade, particularly as it reinforces the work we have been doing on your behalf as a result of your feedback. Read on to find out more.