CII financial services qualifications
Supporting compliance, competence and capability
The CII financial services qualifications
framework addresses the Financial Services
Authority (FSA) regulatory examination
requirements and, where relevant, the
appropriate examination standards of the
Financial Services Skills Council (FSSC).
The framework provides the most
comprehensive learning and competence
programme in the market. As the debate
surrounding the FSA Retail Distribution
Review places ever greater emphasis on the
need for professional, skilled advice, the
framework will enable advisers to develop
the skills and understanding required
to meet regulatory requirements and to
achieve commercial success
Specific qualifications within the
framework are designed for financial
advisers and mortgage advisers. In both
cases, options exist for those seeking to
develop their knowledge beyond the basic
regulatory requirement.
There are also dedicated qualifications for life
and pensions administrators and options for
the many other individuals in related roles
throughout the financial services industry.
The qualifications are underpinned by
further learning and development tools
including ed.ASSESS®, an online service
that keeps technical knowledge up-to-date.
The suite of products is available to
individual candidates and corporate
purchasers. Organisations have access to
dedicated Business Development Managers who can help develop bespoke packages to
fit their particular requirements.
The framework and the associated
products and services cater for all levels of
experience, from those starting out in their
career to experienced, qualified advisers
seeking to maintain and enhance their
knowledge.
In many instances, success in CII
qualifications enables individuals to apply
to use particular designations and titles,
including Chartered status, demonstrating
their achievement to employers, peers
and clients.
Reflecting professional, commercial and regulatory requirements
Qualifications are at the heart of the UK’s
financial services regulatory regime, and the
CII is dedicated to providing solutions that
are relevant, up-to-date and practical.
In addition to delivering an unrivalled
programme of qualifications, the framework
is responsive to individual requirements.
If and when a practitioner identifies a
gap in their knowledge (perhaps as a
consequence of new responsibilities,
regulatory developments or changes in
market practice), he or she can develop
their knowledge as required.
This can
be done either by studying for an overall
qualification or by simply choosing a
particular unit on a standalone basis.
The framework delivers in-depth coverage
of a broad range of subjects. This reflects
the growing desire of many practitioners
to enhance their awareness of sector
specialisms once they have laid a
foundation of general market knowledge
via qualifications such as the Certificate
in Financial Planning and the Certificate in
Mortgage Advice.
Obtaining qualifications and aligning them
with general career development can deliver
genuine business benefits.
They can help provide a competitive
advantage, assist with regulatory
compliance, support entry to new markets
and enhance the range and quality of advice
that can be provided.
The suite of qualifications now includes:
- Certificate in Financial Administration
- Certificate in Life and Pensions
- Certificate in Mortgage Advice
- Certificate in Equity Release
- Certificate in Financial Planning
including options in respect of:
- Group risk
- Long term care insurance
- Diploma in Financial Planning
- Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning
The framework delivers:
- Alignment with the FSA Retail Distribution Review (RDR)
CII qualifications help individual advisers and firms to raise standards of technical knowledge and professional capability in line with themes expressed in the RDR
- The broadest range of market-led services
Reflecting the commercial and regulatory requirements of the industry
- An unrivalled range of qualifications
Meeting the needs of a broad spectrum of individuals working in both advisory and
administrative roles, from new entrants through to experienced professionals
- Quality assured qualifications
Included within the Financial Services Skills Council (FSSC) list of appropriate
examinations
- Market-leading designations and Chartered status
Acquiring CII qualifications satisfies the educational requirement of a range of
recognised and respected professional designations and titles, including Chartered
Financial Planner®.
- A comprehensive portfolio of learning and revision materials
Enabling candidates and organisations to build bespoke learning programmes to suit
their particular needs
- Flexible examination options
An unrivalled UK-wide network of public exam centres. This includes the facility to
sit multiple-choice exams online, with candidates receiving instantaneous results.
The online exam service allows candidates to choose the date of the exam sitting and
enables companies to run sittings in-house
- Competitive pricing
Learning materials and examination entry are available at market-competitive prices,
with discounts available to members
- Leading competence solutions for qualified staff
Including the market’s premier online technical learning, assessment and compliance
platform: ed.ASSESS®
