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Western & Southern and the University of Cincinnati team up for first-of-its-kind partnership
Western & Southern Financial Group and the University of Cincinnati 1819 Innovation Hub have partnered on a program that allows UC students to work on campus as part of the Western & Southern Accelerated Career Program.
UC President Neville G. Pinto and Western & Southern Chairman, President, and CEO John F. Barrett recently joined stakeholders for a ribbon-cutting event to celebrate the partnership, the first of its kind for UC, at the state-of-the-art office space located at 225 Calhoun St., Suite 352.
UC President Neville G. Pinto and Western & Southern Chairman, President, and CEO John F. Barrett recently joined stakeholders for a ribbon-cutting event to celebrate the partnership, the first of its kind for UC, at the state-of-the-art office space located at 225 Calhoun St., Suite 352.
A groundbreaking partnership
Western & Southern’s program provides students with real-world professional experience at a top company while creating a direct pathway toward full-time employment.
“Our students are thrilled that they have this opportunity because they know their experiences will be so much richer since Western & Southern is now going to coeducate them,” Pinto said, explaining the advantages of this latest cooperative education opportunity and thanking Western & Southern for yet another collaboration with UC.
Under the partnership, students employed through the Western & Southern Accelerated Career Program work with current and prospective clients of Gerber Life Insurance, a nationally recognized and trusted brand and a member company of Western & Southern. Students also can obtain a life and health insurance license, with costs for the test and study materials covered by the company. Additionally, students have access to employer-provided benefits such as tuition reimbursement, professional development resources, and courses through the company’s award-winning Guilford Institute.
"Gerber Life is a tremendous growth vehicle for us,” Barrett said. “They wrote the book on the digital sale of insurance. So, what we're doing is having a call center here dedicated to the sale of Gerber Life's products through the University of Cincinnati."
America’s co-op leader
UC, the birthplace of cooperative education, has offered students hands-on learning experiences since 1906. Consistently ranked among the top universities in the nation for cooperative education, UC students earned $88.8 million through workplace education programs during the 2023-24 academic year.
“The College of Cooperative Education and Professional Studies is excited to partner with Western & Southern to launch the Western & Southern Accelerated Career Program,” said Michelle Clare, vice provost for continuing education and dean of the College of Cooperative Education and Professional Studies.
“Western & Southern’s investment goes beyond the new program and involves providing UC students access to professional development resources and scholarships and serves as a model for collaboration between education and industry. This partnership is another example of UC’s commitment to make education more affordable while also equipping our students with the experience and knowledge they need to prepare them for the workforce.”
The Western & Southern Accelerated Career Program employs 18 part-time student associates from UC and two full-time managers to provide coaching and development. Sixteen student associates have earned life and health insurance licenses since the program’s inception in May.
The Western & Southern Accelerated Career Program’s office on Calhoun Street opened in August and operates weekdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., with students’ work schedules tailored around their individual classes.
