Certificate in Paraplanning

On June 30 2010, Institute of Financial Planning (IFP) officially launches the Certificate in Paraplanning, the first qualification in the UK to test the specific knowledge and skills relevant to the role of Paraplanner.

The launch will form part of IFP’s “Financial Planning in Practice” Conference, taking place on 30 June at the Village Hotel, Solihull.  The press release from the IFP continues…

The qualification brings well deserved recognition to this important role and will differentiate successful candidates from other Paraplanners carrying out a more administrative function. It has been developed by IFP over the past couple of years during which time it has consulted broadly within the Financial Planning community. The support of Scottish Widows with this development has been invaluable.

The qualification builds on the Paraplanner Job Role already developed by IFP. It will be set at QCF level 4 and awarded to candidates who have successfully passed the Principles of Financial Planning examination. The examination is available to candidates at convenient locations across the UK, with the first sittings taking place in November 2010. One section of the examination will be multiple-choice in format, with the remainder being case study based with candidates being required to produce highly focussed answers including calculations and recommendations.

Nick Cann CFPCM, CEO of IFP comments:

“For me this new qualification is the most important development yet within the Financial Planning profession. By working with the core of the Financial Planning community, IFP has defined and set out the Paraplanner role and requirements, and can now offer appropriate testing for those individuals who fulfil this important role. I am very excited by the prospect that we will now see a thriving Paraplanner community develop very quickly as a result of this. IFP looks forward to serving all the professional requirements of Paraplanners as well as others working within Financial Planning firms, to help them deliver an increasingly valuable service for their clients.”

Simon Massey, Intermediaries Director at Scottish Widows, says “Paraplanners have a growing role to play in the modern IFA business. There is an abundance of support available to IFAs including our own academy but, as yet, nothing in our industry specifically for Paraplanner development. This Programme and Qualification from IFP fills this gap and we are delighted to be supporting it.”

A new e-learning programme is available to candidates studying for the examination, as well as a two day Paraplanning workshop, which will help candidates to focus on the standards required to pass the examination. For full details of the examination as well as the training options developed by IFP to support candidates studying for it, visit www.financialplanning.org.uk