The Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters (CILA) has launched an Accredited Training Organisation (ATO) programme to formally recognise organisations that train people towards its professional qualifications.
Crawford & Company Adjusters (UK) is the first to gain accreditation.
The programme recognises the role employers, training providers and subject experts play in helping candidates through CILA’s qualifications. Accredited organisations will work more closely with CILA to deliver training aligned with its qualifications and professional standards.
Crawford, which has a long track record of delivering CILA training and workshops, will run its first sessions as an accredited organisation through the Crawford Academy in December, starting with two critical analysis workshops.
CILA said it was close to announcing further accredited organisations, and that the programme is open to any organisation providing structured CILA training across claims handling.
“The claims experience has never been more important as customer expectations grow, and with it the demand for qualified claims handling professionals who can demonstrate both technical competence and the human skills that effective claims handling requires,” said John Bissell, executive director of CILA.
Paul Lofkin, president for UK and Ireland at Crawford & Company, said building the next generation of loss adjusters was critical to the profession’s future. He said the industry needed to create opportunities for people from all backgrounds to enter it and progress.
The launch comes as claims handling faces closer attention. A House of Lords committee report last month called on the FCA to set out how it will tackle poor claims handling in home and travel insurance, including outsourced claims handling and cash settlements. Home insurance claims acceptance rates ranged from 62% to 71% in 2025, according to FCA figures cited in the report.
Claims teams are also under pressure from events. Storms Austen and Boelo brought a surge of property and motor claims last month, and Sedgwick has warned that contractor shortages could slow recovery after major weather events.
The scheme also addresses the industry’s talent problem. Talent attraction and retention is UK brokers’ top priority, as Insurance Business reported in June, and claims functions compete for the same limited pool of people.
For insurers and brokers, a stronger pipeline of qualified loss adjusters should support better claims outcomes, at a time when customers, regulators and peers are all focusing on how claims are handled.
For employers of claims staff, accreditation offers a way to show commitment to professional development, which may help attract and retain talent. It may also help evidence the claims capability regulators are likely to look for under the Consumer Duty.
