Professional certification specific to Protection and Indemnity industry will be made available to Club Correspondents London - The International Group of Protection and Indemnity Clubs (IG) has today (25 September 2017) announced that its professional qualification programme, the P&I Qualification (P&IQ), has been opened to all listed Group Protection and Indemnity (P&I) correspondents. This includes hundreds of correspondents worldwide serving the IG's 13 member-Clubs. The P&IQ course is available to Certificate, Advanced Certificate and Diploma level, and has been accredited by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). It is the only professional qualification available specifically for the P&I industry.   The P&IQ provides theoretical and practical training in all aspects of P&I, from the fundamentals of the shipping industry, and the history and structure of the Clubs, through to more specialist modules dealing with typical P&I risks. The Diploma-level certification is case-study based and assesses candidates' ability to apply knowledge learned in previous modules to analyse various complex claims scenarios. Andrew Bardot, Secretary and Executive Officer, IG, commented "P&I is a complex area of marine insurance, and requires those involved to have a detailed understanding of both the maritime industry and the particulars of P&I cover and risks. The global network of correspondents provides invaluable support to the Clubs so it is important that the P&IQ programme is made accessible to correspondents worldwide. "More so, this is a timely development as we are seeing a generational shift in our industry and the newcomers to the industry are eager to gain professional qualifications and experience. The P&I qualification programme will provide invaluable assistance to correspondents in training their staff just as it has for Clubs and their staff." As from October 2017, the entire P&IQ course will be accessed online through an online education platform provided by Coracle. Candidates will be examined at invigilation centres at hundreds of locations worldwide, making the course easily accessible. The announcement about the enhanced P&IQ offering was made at the International Group Correspondents Conference currently being held at the QEII Centre in London. More than 700 correspondents and IG Club managers have gathered for the two-day conference, hosted by the IG every four years, to listen to updates on a range of issues affecting the industry, with more than 40 speakers from across the P&I and wider maritime industry. Tony Paulson, Chair of the IG's P&IQ Sub-Committee, and Director of the West of England P&I Club, added: "The P&IQ has proven to be an exceptionally useful resource for the staff of the IG's member clubs over the years. With more than 1000 exams sat and 34 students having been awarded the full qualification, we have seen first-hand the benefits that the programme brings to individuals and the Clubs they represent. This is a challenging online course that will certainly test candidates. We hope that the programme will be welcomed as a way of training the next generation and help our correspondents continue the support they provide to the Clubs." The IG Clubs collectively provide liability cover (protection and indemnity) for approximately 90% of the world's ocean-going tonnage. The clubs cover a wide range of liabilities, including loss of life and personal injury to crew, passengers and others on board, cargo loss and damage, pollution by oil and other hazardous substances, wreck removal, collision and damage to property. Clubs also provide a wide range of services to their members on claims handling, legal issues and loss prevention, and often play a leading role in coordinating the response to, and management of, maritime casualties.