Skills Development Checklist

Role determines which technical and compliance tracks apply. A producer needs NPN/NIPR licensing focus and ACORD form mastery; a claims adjuster needs ClaimCenter/Snapsheet and prompt-payment statutes; an underwriter needs rating engine and appetite knowledge.

Use a 1-4 scale across technical (AMS, rating engine, ACORD forms), regulatory (state DOI, NAIC model laws, NYDFS Part 500 if in scope), and customer service competencies. The training manager records the baseline so 90-day progress is measurable.

Pull the producer's NPN from NIPR and verify each resident and non-resident license, line-of-authority, and CE hours by state. Lapsed CE means lapsed license means no authority to bind — and a development plan can't proceed if the employee can't transact.

Use The Institutes' AINS or CPCU 500-level material. Cover hazard grade, exposure base (payroll for WC, sales for GL), schedule mods, and the difference between an indication and a quote — treating an indication as a quote is a frequent E&O trigger.

Whichever system the agency uses — Applied Epic, AMS360, EZLynx, HawkSoft, NowCerts — the trainee should be able to enter a submission, run a renewal expiration report, generate ACORD 25/125/130, and post an endorsement without supervision.

Rate three live or sandbox submissions in TurboRater, EZLynx Rating, or PL Rating. Compare class codes against ISO/NCCI to confirm exposure-base accuracy — auto-populated fields drift over multiple renewal cycles.

Shadow a claims examiner through ClaimCenter or the carrier portal: intake, coverage verification, ROR letter when applicable, case reserve setting, and the 30/60/90-day reserve cadence. Understated reserves contribute to IBNR drift and surface in market-conduct exams.

Cover NPI handling under GLBA Safeguards and, if the carrier is NY-licensed, NYDFS Part 500 §500.12 MFA scope (including vendor VPN access) and the 72-hour cybersecurity-event notification window. Personal email and personal cloud are never appropriate for client NPI.

Run scenarios for renewal questions, COI requests, and a mid-term endorsement. The trainee should explain dec page items, deductibles, SIR, and aggregate vs. per-occurrence limits in plain language without reading from the policy.

Most states require disclosing recording at the start of the call; some are one-party, some two-party consent. A statement taken without proper disclosure is inadmissible and can support a bad-faith claim. Memorize the carrier's approved disclosure script.

Cover de-escalation, when to involve a supervisor, and the line between empathetic acknowledgement and admitting liability. A demand letter or attorney involvement should trigger immediate escalation, not negotiation.

Sit in on a T-45 renewal presentation. Note how the account manager reconciles current operations to the in-force policy (payroll growth, new locations, fleet additions) and presents remarketing options when material exposure changed.

NY requires 45-60 days for non-renewal of most P&C; CA requires 45 days for personal auto; FL ranges 45-120 days by line. Build a one-page reference chart for the states the agency writes in. Missing the window forces renewal at expiring terms.

Screen at policy issuance and again at every claim payment — claimants and assignees can be added to the SDN list mid-policy. Document the screening tool used and the timestamp; an unscreened payment is a regulatory finding.

Texas Insurance Code Chapter 542 is the most-cited: 15 business days to acknowledge FNOL, 15 business days to decision after all info received, 60 days max. Each missed deadline triggers 18% statutory interest plus attorney's fees. Most states have a parallel unfair-claim-settlement-practices act based on the NAIC model.

Cover the carrier's Anti-Fraud Plan (required filings in NY, CA, FL, NJ, OH, NM, KY, LA, MN), SIU referral triggers, and red flags like premium financing on policies that immediately cancel or claims filed days after binding.

NY Reg 187, CA SB 250, and equivalents require written commission disclosure to commercial insureds. Many agencies miss this for mid-market accounts. The trainee should be able to identify when disclosure is required and produce the agency's standard form.

Re-score the same rubric used at baseline. Flag any competency still below the role's minimum bar — a producer with weak ACORD form proficiency or a claims adjuster shaky on prompt-pay timing should not move out of supervised work.

Identify the specific gaps, the coursework or shadow assignments to close them, and a check-in cadence. Remediation should be concrete (e.g., "complete AINS 21 chapter 4, rate five sandbox WC submissions with NCCI class-code lookup") rather than generic.

The agency principal or training manager signs the completed record. File with the employee's HR file under the carrier's retention schedule (typically 5-7 years; longer for WC-licensed staff). This becomes evidence in any future E&O or market-conduct review.