Annual Report 2010 - Hannover Re

In 2009 Hannover Re launched another special training programme
for (business) mathematicians. This reflects, in the
first place, the continuous and marked growth in the need for
qualified mathematicians in recent years; secondly, we have
recognised the advantage of this highly tailored internal form
of further training and now applied it to graduates in the field
of mathematics. So far, we have already recruited four trainees
to this programme since 2009.
Lasting roughly a year and a half, the programme offers trainees
the opportunity – through five to six placements – to get
to know the various mathematically oriented departments of
Hannover Re in a highly structured manner. We offer this programme
for both of our business groups, i.e. life and health
reinsurance and non-life reinsurance; what is more, participants
also experience the areas of risk management and quotation,
Hannover Re Advanced Solutions Germany and the
Insurance-Linked Securities unit. In some instances trainees
are already able to participate in projects, but they also familiarise
themselves with line functions from the ground up.
Along with internal opportunities for further training, including
for example language courses, programme participants
are able to begin studying towards certification as an actuary
DAV just a year after entry. Ideally, their final placement is at
one of our locations abroad.
Breakdown of employees
by country
2010 2009
Germany 1,089 1,032
United States 340 336
South Africa 171 164
United Kingdom 143 126
Sweden 80 84
Australia 65 58
France 49 43
China 43 35
Ireland 41 36
Bermuda 35 33
Malaysia 33 33
Bahrain 27 22
Colombia 17 14
Italy 13 11
Japan 8 7
Korea 7 8
Spain 7 6
India 7 4
Taiwan 6 5
Canada 5 5
Mexico 4 4
Brazil 2 3
Total 2,192 2,069
Management report
We are delighted that the first trainees will soon have completed
their programme and will be able to go on to assume
stimulating tasks within our company.
Going forward, Hannover Re intends to continue recruiting
trainees not only for reinsurance business but also in the field
of mathematics. In this way, dedicated graduates have the
chance to familiarise themselves with reinsurance business
from many different perspectives – and eighteen months later
Hannover Re has at its disposal mathematicians with a specialised
background in reinsurance.
Internal training
Nothing is as constant as change: what was true of Heraclitus
of Ephesus roughly 2,500 years ago is just as true of our internal
training. We know the value attached to solid and stateof-the-art
internal training. For this reason, we have continuously
expanded and enhanced this system in recent years. The
positive feedback received from our staff testifies to its quality.
In 2010 we again dedicated ourselves to this topic. On the one
hand, we were driven by the latest areas of knowledge, where
the task was to provide more in-depth training within the company
(e.g. Solvency II), while at the same time we also seek to
rise to the challenges posed by new forms of learning. To date,
so-called presence seminars (i.e. training activities offered by
experienced members of staff or outside trainers) have formed
the backbone of our internal (specialist) training programme;
now, however, we have begun to add a second pillar of learning
methodology known as “blended learning”. This refers to
a learning arrangement in which online study phases and
presence training are intelligently combined and synthesised
into a single unit. Learning thus becomes more self-manageable
and, not least, more independent of time and space, enabling
us to integrate colleagues at our locations abroad more
easily.
Hannover Re Group annual report 2010 Human resources Management report
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