The Lloyd's Market Association (LMA) and the International Underwriting Association (IUA) have launched two new onling job simulations designed to draw students into underwriting and operations roles in the London market.
The simulations, developed with workforce readiness platform Forage, let participants try typical tasks from each role before deciding whether to apply. They form part of the London Market Group's London Insurance Life campaign, which aims to make specialty insurance a destination career, and link through to its careers platform, where users can find role guides and job vacancies.
The launch extends a model the two associations introduced for claims in October 2024, when they rolled out two claims job simulations covering claims handling and adjustment.
The claims simulations appear to have found an audience. By mid-2025, more than 1,300 school and university leavers had enrolled, according to the LMA.
The IUA says the courses are now feeding through to recruitment. Tom Hughes (pictured, left), director of underwriting at the IUA, said a number of recent applicants to London market firms had completed the claims simulations first, and that student feedback had been excellent.
"Expanding the selection to include underwriting and operations will undoubtedly help us to attract the professional talent we need to thrive as an industry," said Hughes.
Joe Brace (pictured, right), operations director at the LMA, said attracting the next generation was essential to the market's success.
"By offering real insight into day-to-day responsibilities, we hope to broaden awareness of the diverse and rewarding career opportunities available across the market," said Brace.
Forage has grown sharply since the original launch. The platform said in 2024 it had more than six million participants worldwide, and it now reports more than ten million users. Scott Schirmeier, president of Forage's parent company EAB, said simulations show what a career involves in a way a job description cannot.
The simulations are one strand of a broader effort by London market bodies to tackle skills shortages. In July, the LMA and IUA launched a claims capability framework covering the first two years of a claims professional's career. It was co-created by 37 professionals from 25 firms, and was prompted by experienced claims staff continuing to leave the market.
The focus on early careers reflects a long-running concern across specialty insurance. Firms face retirements among experienced technical staff while competing with other financial services sectors for graduates who often know little about how insurance works. Underwriting in particular has historically relied on internal progression and word of mouth rather than visible entry routes.
For employers, the appeal is clear. A free, self-paced simulation gives students a low-risk way to test their interest before applying, and gives firms candidates who arrive with some grasp of the role. In a market where many students only discover insurance by accident, that visibility has value.
The bigger test is conversion. The LMA and IUA have published enrolment figures for the claims simulations, but not how many participants went on to apply for or secure jobs. The IUA's evidence of applicants coming through the claims courses is encouraging but anecdotal.
Extending the model to underwriting is a logical step, because underwriting is the function most closely tied to the market's technical reputation and future capacity.
If the associations can show the simulations are producing hires rather than just sign-ups, firms across the market, including brokers competing for the same pool of graduates, are likely to push for similar tasters in their own disciplines.
