Insurance professionals have been invited to apply for one of six fellowships to develop expertise in microinsurance.

Microinsurance aims to provide quality insurance for the developing world’s low-income families to help them guard against risk and overcome poverty.

The program was launched by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The fellowships provide six to 12 months’ training with a host organisation and are intended to meet a shortage of qualified microinsurance professionals.

According to the ILO, fellows are “expected to make a contribution to building the capacity of their host organisation and should be prepared to make a long-term commitment to using microinsurance as a tool to alleviate risk among the world’s poor”.

Applications from young and mid-career professionals are welcome and applicants should have worked for at least three years in a technical capacity in the insurance sector.

The deadline for applications is March 31.