The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) has reported its highest level of exam activity in a decade, alongside opening entries for its 2026 Apprenticeship Awards in partnership with the Personal Finance Society (PFS).
The professional body recorded 54,990 exam sittings in 2025, describing this as a decade‑long peak and the highest level since 2020. The total number of completed qualifications rose 4% to 15,182, with general insurance and personal finance both posting 4% growth. General insurance completions increased to 8,548, while personal finance qualifications reached 6,634.
Exam activity was almost evenly split between the two strands. Of the 54,990 sittings, 27,856 were general insurance exams, up 3% year‑on‑year, and 27,134 were finance exams, a 0.6% rise. Written exams in personal finance also increased, with sittings up 1.5% to 5,048. Completions of the R06 Financial Planning Practice exam grew 8% to 2,399.
CII director of qualifications and assessment Nicola Mellor said the figures indicate continuing demand for professional learning. “The results demonstrate an appetite for skills and progression within the sector, as well as our members’ continued commitment to professional development, and upholding the highest professional standards across insurance and personal finance,” she said.
Mellor also linked the increase in personal finance qualifications to the organisation’s efforts to build a pipeline of financial planning professionals. She said the data suggests firms and individuals are still opting for structured learning routes at a time of heightened regulatory focus on competence and consumer outcomes.
While the CII did not provide a breakdown by employer type or role, the growth in both insurance and advice‑focused exams comes against a backdrop of ongoing skills and recruitment pressures for insurers, brokers and financial advice firms.
Apprenticeship Awards open during National Apprenticeship Week
Meanwhile, coinciding with National Apprenticeship Week 2026, the CII and PFS have opened entries for the 2026 Apprenticeship Awards, now in their fourth year.
The awards are intended to recognise apprentices and employers across insurance and financial planning. Winners receive a cash prize, sponsored by the Worshipful Company of Insurers Charitable Trust, to support further development.
For 2026, the CII & PFS Apprenticeship Awards will cover apprentices in insurance practitioner, insurance professional, senior insurance professional, financial adviser, paraplanner and financial services administrator roles. There will also be categories for large and small apprenticeship employers, as well as a Social Equality Employer of the Year award.
Applications are open to apprentices and employers across the UK until June 1, 2026.
CII president Callum Beaton described apprenticeships as “an excellent route into the profession, combining hands‑on experience with expertise evidenced by professional qualifications”. PFS president Carla Brown said the awards highlight achievement “across the sector”, including employers and training providers that support new entrants.
The CII said it intends to maintain contact with winners, finalists, judges and providers beyond the awards through mentoring and networking, with the aim of supporting longer‑term career development.
Apprentices and employers in focus
The institute pointed to the experience of previous winners as an example of how apprenticeships can broaden technical knowledge. Reflecting on her route into the profession, 2026 Senior Insurance Apprentice of the Year Elizabeth Dewick said: “It has been a good journey, a long journey, and I feel like I’ve learnt so much along the way, but coming here and winning has just made it all worth it.” She said the programme had helped her gain a wider understanding of general insurance beyond the specialist focus of Ecclesiastical Insurance.
Taken together, the latest exam statistics and the continued emphasis on apprenticeships suggest that formal study is being reinforced by structured workplace training. For the sector, the CII argues that this combination can help firms widen entry routes, address specialist skills gaps and manage succession planning, although the longer‑term impact will depend on how employers integrate qualified and apprenticeship‑trained staff into their businesses.
