One year of practice instead of 3 years of apprenticeship: How brokerage offices relieve admin with KV interns

Many brokers have strong technical skills, but are still too often bogged down with filing, data maintenance and standard correspondence on a day-to-day basis. Mario Trusgnach from the University of Applied Sciences for Business & Information Technology Winterthur (FSWI) explains in an interview how a one-year KV internship model is intended to alleviate these bottlenecks: with prepared apprentices, clear skills profiles and plannable full-time capacity for small and medium-sized brokerage firms.

Administrative burdens, increasing regulatory and documentation requirements and a lack of resources for a traditional commercial apprenticeship: the challenges are intensifying, especially in brokerage companies with 5 to 50 employees. At the same time, there is growing pressure to build up junior staff without overburdening the company with training costs.

Mario Trusgnach, lecturer and internship manager at the Fachschule für Wirtschaft und Informatik (FSWI) in Winterthur, has developed a model for this that consistently prioritizes school-based foundations and transfers the practical part to the company as a one-year full-time internship. In this interview, he shows which tasks interns can realistically take on, where specialists are still required and which requirements are necessary to ensure that companies are noticeably relieved after just a few weeks.

Mr. Trusgnach, what specific problem in brokerage firms led you to develop this internship model?

I experience the same tension in many brokerage companies: the customer advisors are highly qualified, but spend a large part of their day on administrative tasks such as updating quotation documents, filing policies, cleaning up customer data, sorting claims correspondence and coordinating appointments. These are all important tasks, but not original broker work in the sense of providing advice, determining requirements or negotiating with insurers.

At the same time, I hear from many owners of small and medium-sized brokerage businesses: “We would like to train young people, but we simply don’t have the capacity for a traditional three-year apprenticeship.” The requirements of an apprenticeship, the long commitment, the school support – all of this is a deterrent, especially for 5-20 employees.

This is precisely the problem we want to address with the KV internship model: We bring prepared apprentices into the company, who work full-time in the company for a year, relieve the administrative burden and at the same time are introduced to the broker world in a targeted manner without the broker company having to bear the full burden of a complete apprenticeship.

How does your KV internship differ from a traditional KV apprenticeship or a WMS internship?

Our KV internship is neither a “shortened apprenticeship contract” nor a typical WMS internship, but a clear intermediate form:

Full-time school at the beginning:
Learners first complete around three semesters of full-time school at the FSWI. During this time, they acquire business fundamentals (economics, IT, languages) and work on practical projects, role plays and case studies.

Additional practical training (from 2026):
With the new module, we train 11 very specific CT skills, including telephony, correspondence, scheduling, document management, data entry, reception, minute taking and simple financial tasks. Before the trainees come to the company, they have already practiced these activities under real-life conditions. Depending on the interests of the trainees, we also train specific industry knowledge, e.g. in the area of insurance and broking, based on the VBV minimum standard.

One-year full-time internship:
Unlike company-based apprenticeships, there are no regular school days during the internship year. The apprentices are available to the companies five days a week for twelve months. For brokerage companies, this means: fully plannable capacity and significantly less coordination work with the school. And the apprentices can concentrate fully on the company

Exam preparation at the school:
After the internship, the apprentices return to the FSWI for a semester and concentrate on preparing for the qualification procedure. This means that the company does not have to prepare them for the exam.

Compared to the traditional commercial apprenticeship, the school-based part is more important.

In your view, are the apprentices primarily in training or already productive temporary employees?

Both, and it is precisely in this combination that the added value lies.

On the one hand, they are clearly learners:

• There are defined learning objectives, a training plan and regular qualifications.
• They should try out new things, gradually take on responsibility and develop both professionally and personally.

On the other hand, they are productive temporary employees:

• Thanks to the intensive school preparation and practical training, they master central office and administrative tasks and already have industry-specific know-how at the start of their internship.
• Right from the start, you can maintain dossiers, coordinate appointments, file documents, process standard correspondence and thus relieve the burden on specialists.

Those who see them only as “students” underestimate their potential. Those who see them as “low-cost clerks” overestimate their role. Properly understood, they are junior staff who make a tangible contribution on a day-to-day basis and always with clear professional boundaries.

What tasks can the interns realistically take on independently once they have started?

Brokerage firms in particular have many recurring activities that can be easily standardized and transferred. After a structured introduction, interns are typically able to take on tasks independently quite quickly:

• Document and dossier management:
  • Open, scan, classify and correctly allocate inboxes (policies, offers, GCI, claims correspondence).
  • Digital filing and updating of customer and contract dossiers in accordance with internal specifications.
  • Systematic archiving of physical documents.
  • Dispatch of premium invoices and declarations
• Data maintenance and simple evaluations:
  • Entering and updating master data in the CRM or broker management system.
  • Update changes (address changes, contact persons, contract data).
  • Creating simple overviews and lists with spreadsheets (e.g. policy overviews, expiry checks, claims overviews).
• Communication and correspondence:
  • Standardized e-mails and letters based on templates (appointment confirmations, dispatch of documents, payment reminders without specialist advice).
  • Answering telephone calls, assigning them correctly, recording and forwarding call notes.
  • Taking minutes at internal meetings and documenting resolutions.
• Organization and support:
  • Planning and coordinating appointments for customer meetings, annual meetings or internal meetings.
  • Preparation of documents for customer meetings (dossiers, presentations, comparison tables).
  • Support with smaller projects, e.g. sending out customer information or maintaining address distribution lists.

These tasks largely coincide with the 11 practical skills that we specifically train at the school. Learners therefore come with a practical routine in precisely these areas.

Where must brokers explicitly continue to use specialists?

Wherever advice, liability and complex technical decisions are involved, qualified brokers remain essential. Interns can provide administrative support for these processes and prepare documents, record data and keep minutes, but they are no substitute for professional responsibility.

Based on experience, how long does it take for a company to actually feel relief in its day-to-day operations?

Our experience from other commercial internships and feedback from the field show a typical pattern that can be easily transferred to brokerage companies:

• Week 1-4: Onboarding and orientation
  • Getting to know systems, products, processes and the team.
  • During this time, the company invests considerable time in introduction, support and monitoring.
• Week 5-8: Take over first routine activities
  • Learners independently take on clearly defined standard tasks (mail, filing, appointment coordination, simple data maintenance, standard correspondence).
  • From this point onwards, many companies report the first noticeable relief.
• Month 3-6: Stabilization and expansion
  • Learners work largely independently in their areas and only need occasional support.
  • Additional tasks can be taken on, e.g. involvement in simple claims or quotation processes at an administrative level.
• Month 7-12: High degree of independence within a defined framework
  • Within the clearly defined areas of responsibility, the interns practically “run themselves”.
  • The specialists can focus their time more on consulting, customer contact and negotiations.

The decisive factors are a structured induction plan, clearly defined tasks and a contactable person responsible for the practice, then experience has shown that relief comes relatively quickly.

They are based on the VBV minimum standard: what specific skills does a learner bring with them on their first day of work?

The orientation towards the VBV minimum standard ensures that the trainees have basic technical and methodological skills for the insurance environment. In concrete terms, this means on the first day of work:

• Entry-level understanding of the industry:
  • Knowledge of basic terms and principles in the insurance world.
  • Understanding of the roles of insurers, brokers and customers.
  • Raising awareness of advisory and documentation obligations and data protection.
• Secure basis in communication and correspondence:
  • Answering telephone calls, structured call notes, professional forwarding.
  • Creating e-mails and letters in business-appropriate language.
  • Careful updating of contact data in the system.
• Practiced handling of office organization and documents:
  • Order in the workplace, structured filing of physical and digital documents.
  • Systematic archiving of documents according to specifications.
  • Awareness of data protection regulations and compliance with them.

• Competence in handling data and evaluations:
  • Working with spreadsheets and simple databases.
  • Recording, adjusting and checking data.
  • Creation of simple reports with figures, data and facts.
• Additional practical skills from the practical training (11 competencies):
  • From appointment scheduling to minute taking, guest and customer care to reception and switchboard.

For brokerage companies, this means that the trainees know the basic logic of the industry and at the same time are very specifically prepared for typical office and administrative tasks.

How much support per week do smaller brokerage businesses realistically need to plan for?

Smaller brokerage companies in particular must carefully weigh up the amount of support required. The following order of magnitude is realistic:

In the first 1-2 months:

• Around 2-3 hours per week for planned training:
  • Explaining processes (e.g. dossier management, offer workflow, claims process).
  • Going through examples and initial tasks together.
  • Clarification of questions and feedback on completed work.
• In addition, short queries arise in everyday life, which are reduced as the routine grows.

From the 3rd month:

• Approx. 1-1.5 hours per week for:
  • Weekly planning and prioritization.
  • Feedback and development meetings.
  • Introduction to new areas of responsibility or additional responsibilities.

It is important to note that the company does not have to take on the role of the vocational school. General commercial basics, Office applications, correspondence rules and many standard processes are trained in advance at the FSWI. In the company, the primary focus is on transferring these to the specific processes and systems of a brokerage firm.

For which company sizes does this model work particularly well and for which does it not?

The model is basically designed in such a way that it is of interest to a wide range of brokerage companies. Nevertheless, there are clear ideal profiles:

Particularly suitable for:

• Small and medium-sized brokers (approx. 5-50 employees):
  • The administrative burden here is usually high, and there are enough recurring tasks that can be bundled and handed over.
  • An intern can take on a central role in Admin relatively quickly.
• Companies with clear, recurring processes:
  • Anyone who has structured processes in contract management, in the claims back office or in customer administration can transfer these specifically to trainees.
• Company with a focus on promoting young talent:
  • Brokers who consciously think long-term and want to develop their own talents use the internship as an “extended probationary period” and entry into a possible permanent position.

Rather less suitable for:

• Very small businesses (1-2 people):
  • They often lack the time capacity for continuous support.
  • In addition, there are often too few clearly separable task packages for an entire year.
• Companies without defined admin structures:
  • If processes are highly improvised and there are hardly any standards, it is difficult to give learners clear learning and working areas.

We support interested brokers in advance in assessing whether the model fits their own setup so that an internship is not started “on the off chance”.

Is there a risk that companies will in fact expect a low-cost employee instead of promoting young talent?

This danger certainly exists – and it is one of the most important points that we openly address with companies.

If a company primarily thinks: “We’ll get a full-time employee for a year at a reduced wage”, the model will fail. Because:

• Learners need guidance, time and feedback.
• They must not decide alone on sensitive technical issues.
• They should be allowed to develop – and not just be a stopgap for unloved tasks.

That is why we attach great importance to expectation management:

• Transparent role: These are apprentices in training with clearly defined skills – not fully trained clerks.
• Double added value: Yes, they bring a noticeable administrative relief. At the same time, the company is jointly responsible for their professional development.
• Long-term perspective: Those who consciously promote have the best chance of taking on an already trained specialist after completing the EFZ.

Companies that share this basic attitude benefit greatly. Companies that are only looking for a “cheap replacement” are not the right partners for this model.

Where do such internships typically fail in practice?

In practice, we are aware of some recurring stumbling blocks that we address right from the start:

• Lack of responsibility in the company:
  • If there is no clear person responsible for the practice, the whole team somehow “takes care of things” and nobody really does. This leads to uncertainty and a lack of structure.
• Unclear or changing tasks:
  • If the intern helps out here and there, but does not have a stable package of tasks, both the learning curve and the benefit for the company suffer.
• Overload or underload:
  • Expectations that are too high (“he’ll do the whole damage area after two weeks”) are frustrating.
  • Permanent underchallenge (“only copying and scanning”) demotivates and wastes potential.
• Lack of feedback and error culture:
  • Where mistakes are not discussed, but only criticized, or where there is no feedback at all, development comes to a standstill.
• Too little preparation on the operational side:
  • If it is not clear before the internship starts which tasks, access rights, workstations and systems will be provided, the start will be bumpy.

The FSWI responds to this with:

• clear requirements for practice managers (training/experience),
• a structured schedule with onboarding, intermediate qualifications and graduation,
• Support with task planning and integration into operations.

Can an internship replace a recruitment strategy in the medium term or does it remain a temporary relief?

I see the internship as both, but not as a complete replacement for a recruitment strategy.

As temporary relief:

• A company receives a motivated, prepared person for twelve months who can take over a considerable part of the administration.
• This is a powerful tool, especially in phases of high capacity utilization, project peaks or personnel bottlenecks.

As a strategic recruitment tool:

• During the internship year, the company gets to know the apprentice very well both professionally and personally.
• After completing the EFZ, i.e. around a year after the end of the internship, the company can make targeted use of known talents.
• This reduces the risk of incorrect appointments and shortens subsequent training periods.

However, a sustainable recruitment strategy will always have several components, e.g. direct recruitment of clerks, internal development of employees and a structured internship model. The CT internship can play a central role in this combination.

How have insurers and industry organizations reacted to the model so far?

The majority of reactions so far have been positive. Above all, because everyone involved recognizes how much the demands on brokerage companies have increased in recent years: Digitalization, regulation, documentation requirements, data quality.

• Insurers appreciate anything that contributes to properly managed dossiers, complete documentation and clear communication. A model that strengthens the administrative skills and process understanding of junior staff ultimately also relieves the interface between broker and insurer.
• Industry organizations see the VBV-oriented approach as a quality assurance mechanism: apprentices are not trained in a “somehow commercial” way, but with a clear focus on the insurance and broker environment.
• Companies from related sectors (e.g. fiduciary services, real estate) confirm that a year-long internship in complex service industries is ideal for building sustainable skills. These positive experiences also support the transfer of the model to brokerage companies.

We remain in dialog with insurers and associations in order to continuously adapt our content and focus to the requirements of the industry, for example on topics such as data quality, claims processes and digital customer interfaces.

Do you see this as a transitional model or a possible new standard for entering the brokerage industry?

I clearly see this CT internship model as a potential new standard alongside traditional apprenticeships, especially for the brokerage sector:

• Realistic fit with the structure of many brokerage companies:
  Many brokerage companies are too small or too specialized to offer a full three-year apprenticeship in the traditional sense. A one-year internship with a basic education at an earlier stage is much better suited to their resources and processes.
• Combination of quality and flexibility:
  The orientation towards the VBV minimum standard, supplemented by our practical training with 11 KV competencies, ensures a high level of training. At the same time, the model remains flexible enough for companies to tailor it to their practice.
• The answer to the shortage of young talent:
  Good clerks and future customer advisors are no less sought after in the brokerage sector. A model that combines the promotion of young talent with direct relief creates a strong incentive for both sides.

Whether this actually becomes a new standard ultimately depends on how actively the brokerage houses use and help shape the offer. If companies feed back their experience, introduce requirements and see trainees as genuine junior staff, this internship could become a permanent, established entry route into the brokerage world.

The questions were asked by Binci Heeb.

Lunch webinar for insurance brokers: KV internship in practice

If the above questions and answers have aroused your curiosity and you would like to know what the CT internship could look like in your own brokerage business, you are cordially invited to our lunch webinar.

In 30 minutes (12:00-12:30), we will give a compact presentation of the model, show typical fields of application in broker offices and answer your individual questions: from possible tasks to the support effort and the role as a recruitment channel. The webinar will take place:

Date: Monday, March 9, 2026 from 12:00 to 12:30 p.m.

Register without obligation by e-mail at: binci.heeb@thebrokernews.ch and decide on this basis whether the KV internship is the right relief and junior staff solution for your brokerage business.

Mario Trusgnachis a lecturer, Head of Education KV-EFZ and Head of Internships at the Fachschule für Wirtschaft und Informatik (FSWI) in Winterthur. He previously worked in the personnel services industry for over 30 years, including as Managing Director and CEO in Switzerland, Austria and Germany, where he built up and realigned companies and managed large branch networks. Today, he applies this management and practical experience to practical commercial training and ensures that apprentices are specifically prepared for their one-year internship and that companies find suitable junior staff. He is also co-owner of a consultancy firm for personnel and career advice. Mario Trusgnach is married, has two grown-up children and lives in Brütten.

Read also: “The broker becomes an entrepreneurial risk manager for SMEs”

---