By Diane P. Mika, Vice President and Director of Risk Management Education,
Berkley Design Professional, a Berkley Company | April 12, 2021

Education is a good thing, right? We at Berkley Design Professional certainly believe so. Our BDP Risk® courses and resources are intended to help our insured architects and engineers improve project management practices, enhance business performance and minimize risk.

But belief and proof are not the same. So we went to our data.

The Numbers Tell a Story

Our curious data scientists (otherwise known as actuaries) pored through the numbers—course participation, claim data and underwriting files—and the results were overwhelmingly positive. BDP Risk® education makes a difference in claim frequency, customer loyalty and broker success.

Decreased Claim Frequency

A/E firms that participate in our education programs show a decrease
in claim frequency. When more staff participate, there’s an even greater reduction.

• Just one person at a firm taking a course results in a nearly 13% drop in claim frequency.
• When everyone at a firm takes more than one course, the likelihood of a claim decreases by almost 23%.
• And when those firms participate in a live program (in person or by webinar), there’s a stunning 26% drop.

Increased Customer Loyalty

Firms that participate in our education program also recognize its value, and they show that by renewing their policies and maintaining access to our award-winning BDP Risk® Learning Management System.

Ninety-two percent of firms that have experienced BDP Risk® education come back for more. That’s 10 points higher than firms that have never taken one of our courses.

Higher Broker Success

Our top-performing agencies—those who grew their business with Berkley Design Professional (Berkley DP) by the highest percentage of policies and premium dollars—were those whose clients had the highest participation level in Berkley DP courses. Simply put, brokers who promoted the value and effectiveness of Berkley DP education sold more policies and brought in more premium.

The Value of BDP Risk® Education

Participation in BDP Risk® education courses can decrease exposure to claims. Learners can earn AIA CES Learning Units or RCEP Professional Development Hours. To top it off, insured firms can qualify for a 15% risk management education rating credit on their next renewal.*

Act Now!

If you’re already a Berkley DP policyholder or broker, what are you waiting for? Access the award-winning education experience on BDP Risk®.

If you’re not yet part of the Berkley DP family, find an agent.

* Each policy year, firms that participate in one or more Berkley DP education programs qualify for a single 15% risk management education credit that will be included in rating and reflected in the firm’s next policy quotation. Please note that the education credit opportunity applies only to primary policies; excess policies are not eligible.

BDP Risk® is Berkley DP’s state-of-the-art Learning Management System (LMS), which provides 24/7 online access to relevant risk and practice management content, streamlined online learning, and education activity tracking and reporting. For a second consecutive year, BDP Risk® has won a coveted Brandon Hall Group Excellence award for “Best Advance in Custom Content,” which recognizes self-paced, custom-designed online courses related to workplace learning. The 2020 Silver Award reflects Berkley DP’s ongoing successful efforts to help design professionals improve their practices, enhance business performance, and decrease the frequency of professional liability claims.

Our LMS is powered by Docebo, which is a global company that serves over 2,000 clients and provides one of the most innovative learning technologies on the market. Docebo named Berkley DP the 2020 winner of the INSPIRE Learning Award for Best Achievement in Extended Enterprise for developing the most innovative extended enterprise training program that takes learning beyond the four walls of an organization.

About the Author

Diane P. Mika is a learning and development specialist with 25 years’ experience in A/E professional liability insurance. Since 2014, she has led the development of the award-winning BDP Risk® Learning Management System and the creation of risk management resources and education programs to help engineers and architects improve their business practices and mitigate loss.