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Just 12 months after unveiling its higher education strategy, the Financial Planning Association (FPA) has announced that over 500 students are now studying undergraduate degrees aligned with the FPA’s CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® program across 17 Australian universities.
The success of the FPA’s joint initiative with Australia’s university community is facilitated by Financial Planning Education Council (FPEC) which was formed in April 2010. Mark Rantall, FPA chief executive, said Dr Deen Sanders has been working with many Australian universities over the past years to develop training standards and cement the professional future of financial planning.
The FPEC has already produced the first model Financial Planning curriculum framework that will be sent to every Australian University in the next few weeks for consultation.
In 2010 the FPA announced its new education strategy that will see all new members required to have an approved degree (or higher) before acceptance as an Associate Financial Planner from 1st July 2013.
Mr Rantall said higher education standards were a critical step in ‘lifting the bar’ for the entire financial planning industry, reflecting the theme of the 2011 FPA Annual National Conference.
In a further move to foster academic research as applied to financial planning, preceding the Conference will be a gathering of leading academics at the world’s first two-day Financial Planning Research Symposium.
“We are proud to sponsor this ground-breaking event,” Mr Rantall said. “In honour of the importance the FPA has accorded to lifting educational standards, we have dedicated a session chaired by Dr Sanders at the FPA National Conference to present highlights of the exciting research that has been done in that field.”
“I applaud the co-operation between the FPA and Australian universities as a major advance in the march towards ensuring a strong future for professional financial planning,” he said. “I would urge FPA members and our Professional Partners to continue to support the Financial Planning Education Council, which relies on funding from the industry, in its efforts to raise educational standards and nurture well-educated financial planners in the next generation.”
Over 1,000 delegates are attending the FPA Conference held this week in Brisbane.