A recent report from LIMRA International (an insurance marketing and research association) found that while new insurance carrier recruits were down 3 percent as of mid-year 2002, 74 percent of the new recruits being hired didn't have any experience in the industry. That creates a huge need for just the type of training the American Society for Training and Development has identified as being most effective: sales and dealer training, product knowledge, and orienting new hires to the industry as a whole and a company's specific policies. (See page 12.) No doubt about it: Training continues to be important for insurance companies.