More than 150 insurance professionals, students and newcomers to the industry received their newly-attained qualifications at the Bermuda Insurance Institute’s (BII) Education Awards Luncheon at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess yesterday.A total of 169 certificates were handed out to students in 16 different areas of study at the ceremony. That’s more than last year, when a total of 137 certificates were handed out to 123 students.The recipients, who successfully completed their studies during the past year, earned professional insurance designations ranging from the Insurance Institute of America’s Associate Insurance Accounting, Associate in Claims, Associate in Management, Associate in General Insurance, Associate in Insurance Services, Associate in Regulation and Compliance, Associate in Reinsurance, Associate in Risk Management, Certificate in Enterprise Risk Management, Associate in Commercial Underwriting, Insurance Essential, Insurance Regulations and Introduction to Underwriting; the American Institute for CPCU’s Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter; the Chartered Insurance Institute’s Diploma in Insurance; and the Professional Liability Underwriting Society’s Registered Professional Liability Underwriter.Patrick Tannock, President of XL Insurance Bermuda was the keynote speaker at yesterday’s event. He encouraged the award recipients to make a life-long commitment to learning and to take advantage of training and development opportunities to stay ahead of the curve.“After all, in this economy, it doesn’t matter if you can trace your ancestry to Dame Lois Browne Evans, Sir George Somers or the first President of the United States … no one is going to give you a job or career advancement unless you have the appropriate education and skill sets,” he said. “Every day you should be looking to increase your intellectual net worth.”