1	"SITE Member Survey" SITE Member Survey: Professional Development
2	Contents Executive Summary Survey Results: Introduction (questions 1 – 4) Conferences (questions 5 – 8) Designations & Degrees (questions 9 – 11) Responsibility for Professional Development (questions 12 & 13) Addendum—detail of question 4
3	Executive Summary 128 SITE members participated in the survey—a response rate of 16%. The respondents overwhelmingly agreed that professional development was very important The majority of members felt that anything that added to the skill base was professional development More than half of the respondents indicated that professional development was part of their performance objectives Members felt that a variety of items (from college courses to professional reading) were part of professional development Most members agreed that annual conferences were part of professional development
4	Executive Summary (cont’d) Nearly all respondents considered the SITE conference was a professional development opportunity Most respondents participated in annual conferences, are participating in on-going development and have insurance designations—nearly all respondents indicated that insurance designations are important for training/education professionals When asked who was responsible for professional development—the individual or the company/organization, nearly half indicated individual and half indicated the responsibility was shared As for financial responsibility, respondents felt that the individual was somewhat responsible and the company/organization was mostly responsible.
5	Question 1 On a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being high), how important do you feel on-going professional development is: 21 respondents (16.3%)= 4: Somewhat important 108 respondents (83.75) = 5: Very Important
6	Question 2 When you think about professional development, do you primarily think of:
7	Question 3 Is professional development a job requirement, i.e. part of your performance objectives? YES 65.9% (85 respondents) NO 36.4% (47 respondents)
8	Question 4
9	Question 4: ‘Other’ Summary of Other: Volunteer leadership positions Cross-over training from other fields All of the above! If I have time, need to prioritize Networking with other professionals Leadership involvement in community/volunteer organizations Writing articles Soft skills training on leadership, etc Coaching & observing other trainers is a valuable learning tool Helping others achieve their goals Work experiences, mentoring, coaching Presentation skill development Online courses Attending or facilitating lunch & learn sessions with internal colleagues
10	Question 5 Do you participate in annual conferences as part of your professional development? YES – 77.3% (99 respondents) NO – 22.7% (29 respondents)
11	Question 6 Do you consider the SITE conference as a professional development opportunity? YES – 97.7% (125 respondents) NO – 2.3% (3 respondents)
12	Question 7 If you answered NO to question 6, please indicate Why Not? It's not always "no" - varies by year. Based on availability of funding for attendance have not attended Not paid for by the company Not in the budget
13	Question 8
14	Question 8: ‘Other’ Summary includes: NAIW SCLA CIC Advanced MEGA Training Varies by year—1 per year FSAE ACIC IIABA CPCU NLI/mid-year meetings LIMRA/LOMA SILA IRMI
15	Question 9 Which of the following, if any, are you currently participating in or have you participated in as part of your personal professional development? (NOTE: These are degrees that you would have participated in while working full-time.):
16	Question 9: ‘Other’ The summary of OTHER included: LUTCF MS in Instructional Design Technology ASTD Human Performance Improvement Both MS in Adult Ed and MBA AIAM CPCU
17	Question 10 ITP – 4.8% (5) CPCU – 24.8% (26) AIM – 1% (1) AIS – 1% (1) AIC - 4.8% (5) IIA – 6.7% (7) ACLA – 0% SCLA – 5.7% (6) CLU – 2.9% (3) CIC – 5.7% (6) ChFC – 1% (1) Other – 41.9% (44)
18	Question 11 Do you feel that insurance designation programs are important for training/education professionals in the insurance industry? YES - 91.1% (113 respondents) NO - 1.6% (2 respondents) Other – 7.3% (9 respondents)
19	Question 11 - Other Several respondents commented further: Not only yes, but ABSOLUTELY!!!!! Only if the training professional is an instructor or facilitator Depends upon job expectations. Not necessarily important for all positions. I do not have one area that I work with in our company and so I do not feel that I must have a specific designation to complete my job. Some of us are responsible for non-insurance specific training. Management Development, etc.
20	Question 12 Many individuals feel that professional development (i.e. the on-going maintenance and development of skills) is the responsibility of the individual; others believe it to be the organization or company’s responsibility. Some feel the responsibility is shared. Please indicate how you feel:
21	Question 13 Please indicate to whom you feel the financial responsibility (i.e. paying for maintenance and development of skills) belongs for professional development:
22	Addendum 1 Question 4 choices: College Courses Designation Programs Attending conferences Reading magazines in my field (training) on a regular basis Reading magazines in my field (insurance) on a regular basis Participating in workshops Reading work-related books on a regular basis Subscribing and reading online publications Participating in webcasts Belonging to Professional Organizations (e.g. SITE, ASTD, Society of CPCU, etc.) Participating in professional organization meetings Other