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Continuing Education

Continuing Education in British Columbia

Continuing Education Program Requirements

For each licence year, or portion thereof, commencing with licence year June 1, 2008 through May 31, 2009:

  • If you have an approved designation* you must have 4 qualified hours of continuing education; OR
  • If you have been licensed as a general insurance agent or salesperson for at least 5 of the last 7 years in a Canadian jurisdiction, and you do not have an approved designation, you must have 6 qualified hours of continuing education; OR
  • If you have not been licensed as a general insurance agent or salesperson agent for at least 5 of the last 7 years in a Canadian jurisdiction and you do not have an approved designation, you must have 8 qualified hours of continuing education.

*Approved Designations: CAIB, CIB, CIP (formerly AIIC), CCIB, FCIP, CRM. Designations from other countries will be considered where it is demonstrated to Council they are equivalent to one of the approved Canadian designations.

 

Content

For salespersons and agent level 2 licensees, the only qualifying insurance continuing education is technical material* directly related to:

  • General insurance products.
  • Compliance with insurance legislation and licensee requirements such as Council Rules, Council's Code of Conduct, the Insurance Act, and privacy legislation.
  • Ethics.
  • Errors and Omissions.

*For level 3 licensees, “technical material” is broadened to include courses relating to management, accounting, and human resources.

 

Council Rules Course

All individuals (BC residents and non-residents) who obtain an insurance licence in British Columbia are required to complete the Council Rules Course during their first licence period, except those that qualified for their insurance licence under the Reactivation Provision in Council Rule 2(19).

Please note, effective March 1, 2019 the Council Rules Course will become a pre-licensing requirement for new licensees, except those that qualified for their insurance licence under the Reactivation Provision in Council Rule 2(19). 

See the full Council Rules Course requirements.

 

Structure

The education must take place in a structure dedicated to learning. Separate training meetings for the purposes of reviewing the details of a specific product line may qualify, but:

  • Day-to-day business or professional reading does not qualify.
  • Regular staff meetings that cover a myriad of topics do not qualify.
 

Facilitator

The facilitator is expected to be fully qualified. Verify this through course or promotional materials.

 

Time

One hour of instruction is equal to 1 hour of CE (Insurance Continuing Education) credit, subject to a one hour minimum. Breaks are excluded, and you must attend the complete course or seminar. In addition:

  • No course can be accredited for more than 8 hours.
  • There is a daily maximum of 7 hours.
  • Where a course involves an exam, you must successfully pass the exam.
 

Carry Forward

Commencing June 1, 2008, excess credits cannot be carried over into the next annual licence period.

Required Hours

For each licence year, or portion thereof, commencing with licence year June 1, 2008 through May 31, 2009:

  • If you have an approved designation* you must have 5 technical hours of continuing education; OR
  • If you have been licensed as a life insurance agent for at least 5 of the last 7 years in a Canadian jurisdiction, and you do not have an approved designation, you must have 10 technical hours of continuing education; OR
  • If you have not been licensed as a life insurance agent for at least 5 of the last 7 years in a Canadian jurisdiction and you do not have an approved designation, you must have 15 technical hours of continuing education.

*Approved Designations: CFP, CLU, RHU, FCIA, FLMI, CEBS.** Designations from other countries will be considered where it is demonstrated to Council they are equivalent to one of the approved Canadian designations.

**NOTE: Some designations (CLU, FCIA and CFP) require the holder to keep the designation in good standing by completing continuing education each year. If you hold such a designation and can demonstrate to Council your designation is in good standing, you are “exempt” from Council’s continuing education requirements.

 

Content

For life insurance, the only qualifying continuing education is technical material directly related to:

  • Life insurance products.
  • Financial planning, provided the education is geared to life insurance and not a non-insurance sector, such as securities or mutual funds.
  • Compliance with insurance legislation and requirements such as Council Rules, Council's Code of Conduct, the Insurance Act, privacy legislation, and anti-terrorism/money laundering legislation.
  • Ethics.
  • Errors and Omissions.
 

Council Rules Course

All individuals (BC residents and non-residents) who obtain an insurance licence in British Columbia are required, to complete the Council Rules Course during their first licence period, except those that qualified for their insurance licence under the Reactivation Provision in Council Rule 2(19).

Please note, effective March 1, 2019 the Council Rules Course will become a pre-licensing requirement for new licensees, except those that qualified for their insurance licence under the Reactivation Provision in Council Rule 2(19). 

See the full Council Rules Course requirements

 

Structure

The education must take place in a structure dedicated to learning. Separate training meetings for the purposes of reviewing the details of a specific product line may qualify, but:

  • Day-to-day business or professional reading does not qualify.
  • Regular staff meetings that cover a myriad of topics do not qualify.
 

Facilitator

The facilitator is expected to be fully qualified. Verify this through course or promotional materials.

 

Time

One hour of instruction is equal to 1 hour of CE (Insurance Continuing Education) credit, subject to a one hour minimum. Breaks are excluded, and you must attend the complete course or seminar. In addition:

  • No course can be accredited for more than 15 hours.
  • There is a daily maximum of 7 hours.
  • Where a course involves an exam, you must successfully pass the exam.
 

Carry Forward

Commencing June 1, 2008, excess credits cannot be carried over into the next annual licence period.

Required Hours

For each licence year, or portion thereof, commencing with licence year June 1, 2008 through May 31, 2009:

  • If you have an approved designation* you must have 4 qualified hours of continuing education; OR
  • If you have been licensed as an adjuster for at least 5 of the last 7 years in a Canadian jurisdiction, and you do not have an approved designation you must have 6 qualified hours of continuing education; OR
  • If you have not been licensed as an adjuster for at least 5 of the last 7 years in a Canadian jurisdiction and you do not have an approved designation you must have 8 qualified hours of continuing education.

*Approved Designations: CAIB, CIB, CIP (formerly AIIC), CCIB, FCIP, CRM. Designations from other countries will be considered where it is demonstrated to Council they are equivalent to one of the approved Canadian designations.
 

Content

For level 1 and level 2 licensees, the only qualifying insurance continuing education is technical material* directly related to:

  • General insurance products.
  • Compliance with insurance legislation and licensee requirements such as Council Rules, Council's Code of Conduct, the Insurance Act, and privacy legislation.
  • Ethics.
  • Errors and Omissions.

*For level 3 licensees, “technical material” is broadened to include courses relating to management, accounting, and human resources.
 

Council Rules Course

All individuals (BC residents and non-residents) who obtain an insurance licence in British Columbia are required to complete the Council Rules Course during their first licence period, except those that qualified for their insurance licence under the Reactivation Provision in Council Rule 2(19).

Please note, effective March 1, 2019 the Council Rules Course will become a pre-licensing requirement for new licensees, except those that qualified for their insurance licence under the Reactivation Provision in Council Rule 2(19). 

See the full Council Rules Course requirements

 

Structure

The education must take place in a structure dedicated to learning. Separate training meetings for the purposes of reviewing the details of a specific product line may qualify, but:

  • Day-to-day business or professional reading does not qualify.
  • Regular staff meetings that cover a myriad of topics do not qualify.
 

Facilitator

The facilitator is expected to be fully qualified. Verify this through course or promotional materials.

 

Time

One hour of instruction is equal to 1 hour of CE (Insurance Continuing Education) credit, subject to a one hour minimum. Breaks are excluded, and you must attend the complete course or seminar. In addition:

  • No course can be accredited for more than 8 hours.
  • There is a daily maximum of 7 hours.
  • Where a course involves an exam, you must successfully pass the exam.
 

Carry Forward

Commencing June 1, 2008, excess credits cannot be carried over into the next annual licence period.

Required Hours

For each licence year, or portion thereof, commencing with licence year June 1, 2008 through May 31, 2009:

  • If you have an approved designation* you must have 5 technical hours of continuing education; OR
  • If you have been licensed as an Accident and Sickness agent for at least 5 of the last 7 years in a Canadian jurisdiction, and you do not have an approved designation, you must have 10 technical hours of continuing education; OR
  • If you have not been licensed as an Accident and Sickness agent for at least 5 of the last 7 years in a Canadian jurisdiction and you do not have an approved designation, you must have 15 technical hours of continuing education.

*Approved Designations: CFP, CLU, RHU, FCIA, FLMI, CEBS.** Designations from other countries will be considered where it is demonstrated to Council they are equivalent to one of the approved Canadian designations.

**NOTE: Some designations (CLU, FCIA and CFP) require the holder to keep the designation in good standing by completing continuing education each year. If you hold such a designation and can demonstrate to Council your designation is in good standing, you are “exempt” from Council’s continuing education requirements.

 

Content

For Accident and Sickness insurance, the only qualifying continuing education is technical material directly related to:

  • Accident and Sickness insurance products.
  • Compliance with insurance legislation and licensee requirements such as Council Rules, Council's Code of Conduct, the Insurance Act, and privacy legislation.
  • Ethics.
  • Errors and Omissions.
 

Council Rules Course

All individuals (BC residents and non-residents) who obtain an insurance licence in British Columbia are required to complete the Council Rules Course during their first licence period, except those that qualified for their insurance licence under the Reactivation Provision in Council Rule 2(19).

Please note, effective March 1, 2019 the Council Rules Course will become a pre-licensing requirement for new licensees, except those that qualified for their insurance licence under the Reactivation Provision in Council Rule 2(19). 

See the full Council Rules Course requirements

 

Structure

The education must take place in a structure dedicated to learning. Separate training meetings for the purposes of reviewing the details of a specific product line may qualify, but:

  • Day-to-day business or professional reading does not qualify.
  • Regular staff meetings that cover a myriad of topics do not qualify.
 

Facilitator

The facilitator is expected to be fully qualified. Verify this through course or promotional materials.

 

Time

One hour of instruction is equal to 1 hour of CE (Insurance Continuing Education) credit, subject to a one hour minimum. Breaks are excluded, and you must attend the complete course or seminar. In addition:

  • No course can be accredited for more than 15 hours.
  • There is a daily maximum of 7 hours.
  • Where a course involves an exam, you must successfully pass the exam.
 

Carry Forward

Commencing June 1, 2008, excess credits cannot be carried over into the next annual licence period.

Required Hours

  • Exempt employees and commissioned salespersons of restricted travel agencies and licensed sole-proprietors must complete a minimum of 2 hours of continuing education each calendar year.
  • Individuals who commence work as a restricted travel insurance agent after July 1 in a calendar year will only be required to complete 1 hour of continuing education in that calendar year.
 

Content

Credits are granted for courses where the licensee’s travel insurance knowledge is improved, including courses that enhance expertise in a particular insurance product line.
 

Council Rules Course

Travel insurance licensees are not currently required to take the Council Rules Course, though Council encourages them to do so.

See the full Council Rules Course requirements

 

Structure

The education must take place in a structure dedicated to learning. Separate training meetings for the purposes of reviewing the details of a specific product line may qualify, but:

  • Day-to-day business or professional reading does not qualify.
  • Regular staff meetings that cover a myriad of topics do not qualify.
 

Facilitator

The facilitator is expected to be fully qualified. Verify this through course or promotional materials.

 

Carry Forward

Commencing June 1, 2008, excess credits cannot be carried over into the next annual licence period. Two credits must be obtained each calendar year.

Non-BC-Resident Continuing Education Requirements

  • Regardless of the home jurisdiction, a new BC insurance licensee who does not meet Council’s reactivation provision must complete the Council Rules Course during their first licence period, as part of the continuing education requirements that apply to all new BC licensees. For additional details view Council Notice ICN 16-001 and ICN 18-003. 
  • Non-resident licensees whose home jurisdiction has a mandatory continuing education requirement may not be required to meet Council’s requirements, provided they keep their licence in good standing in their home jurisdiction.
  • Except for as noted above, non-resident applicants and licensees are subject to the same rules and requirements as BC residents.

Continuing Education Records

Your CE records must be maintained for five years from the end of the annual licence period for which the education was taken.  Your records should include, by licence year:
  • Completion certificates for each course completed which reflect
    • Your name
    • The course provider's name
    • Course title
    • Number of technical credits issued
  • Course content information which can include:
    • Course outlines
    • Agenda for a workshop that reflects the topics and time spent on each
  • Licensees are required to keep record of their continuing education for 5 years.