General Insurance Competency Framework

The Insurance Council is introducing standardized education and skill requirements for general insurance salespersons and agents in British Columbia. This includes establishing entry to practice requirements for new licensees. To achieve this, we are introducing the use of a competency framework for general insurance licensure, referred to as the General Insurance Competency Framework (GICF). 

New applicants for licensure or licence upgrades would be required to qualify under these standards starting in December 2026, pending approval of amendments to Insurance Council Rules to enable use of the competency framework, followed by the accreditation of general insurance education.

Learn more:

What is a competency framework?

Competency frameworks are commonly used to establish the minimum level of competency and performance expected of a regulated professional in a variety of occupations.

The General Insurance Competency Framework was developed by the Insurance Council to establish a standard for skills, knowledge and abilities for general insurance agents in BC.

More about the General Insurance Competency Framework

What’s the purpose?

Our objective is qualified and competent insurance licensees that are ready and available to meet British Columbians’ insurance needs. As such, we want to ensure that applicants for insurance licensure at all levels are receiving the training and experience they’ll need on the job, as identified by industry.

The knowledge and skills outlined by the General Insurance Competency Framework will be used to standardize the education provided to general insurance licensees in BC, and will be used as the benchmark for entry to practice.

The standards established by the competency framework provide an opportunity for harmonizing qualification requirements for licensure between provinces and territories. 

How the Competency Framework will be used

The standards established by the competency framework will be introduced through updates to pre-licensure education for general insurance. This will be supported by an Insurance Council of BC accreditation program that will ensure that courses from third-party education providers align with licensing requirements.

The General Insurance Competency Framework is intended to serve the needs of multiple parties and will be used in a number of ways:

Insurance Council of BC 

• To clearly communicate the standard of competence for general insurance licence levels in BC, established by the regulator and confirmed by industry.
• As criteria for the accreditation of education required to qualify for general insurance licensure in BC.

Agencies and managers/supervisors

• As a reference for establishing workplace practices and developing staff training resources.
• As a resource for measuring employee performance and developing professional development programs.
• To improve career progression pathways for employees.
• As reference to refine roles and align them with regulatory standards.

Agents and salespersons

• To understand what workplace skills, abilities and behaviours can support continuous professional development and career success at every general insurance licence level.
• To learn next steps for career progression and higher licence levels, and conducting business in different lines of insurance.

Education providers

• To design course content that meets the education requirements for general insurance licensure and criteria for accreditation.
• To use as a standard for professional development programs and procedures.

What's happening and when

Introduction of framework and Rule amendments – We have released a program handbook to provide information about the General Insurance Competency Framework to licensees, education providers and other stakeholders.

From August 15-October 17, 2025, the Insurance Council will be consulting on rule amendments* to support the implementation of the general insurance competency framework and an accreditation program for general insurance education. *(link will be live as of Aug 15)

Accreditation program begins – Pending rule approval by government, we are targeting Fall 2025 to provide detailed information about the Accreditation Program for General Insurance intended for third-party education providers, including how to apply for course accreditation and evaluation criteria.  This will then be followed by the intake of applications for accreditation.

Transition to new licence qualification standards – There will be a period of transition as accredited general insurance courses become readily available. After that, starting in December 2026, new applicants and licensees applying for a new licence or a licence upgrade will need to have met their education requirements for licensure with accredited courses.

What do I need to know?

• Current licensees will not need to retake qualifying education to maintain their licences.  These changes will only apply to new applicants for licensure or licence level upgrades after accredited courses become available and the new education requirements are in effect.
• No additional education will be required for a general insurance licence (Levels 1-3). Rather, the introduction of the competency framework is intended to align course content with real-world skills that salespersons and agents will need while working in industry.
• To meet the competencies for nominees outlined in the competency framework, it is anticipated that an additional course will be required for new nominee appointments, reflecting the significance of their role and responsibilities.
• The new standards will be introduced over time, and there will be a one-year transition period for general insurance course providers to update content to meet standards