The Complete Package

A market forum for the life and pensions sector

The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) has formed the Faculty of Life and Pensions to support the needs of people like you and the organisations that you work for.

It is a market forum managed by experts in the life and pensions sector combined with the direction and support from the CII. It is for everyone who works in the life and pensions sector no matter what your level of experience.

It aims to promote professionalism and to raise standards of practice among persons engaged in this sector. It will encourage progression to Chartered status and provide information, events, seminars and guidance on maintaining competence and good practice.

If you work in the life and pensions sector, membership of the faculty will help support your training and competence needs.

As a member of the CII, you will belong to one of the world’s major professional bodies, recognised and respected internationally. Membership demonstrates commitment to your profession. CII qualifications confirm you as a professional to your peers, your employer and the people with whom you do business.

How will the faculty support companies?

It will do this by:

• Considering how the major issues affecting companies can be addressed
2. Establishing guidance on minimum standards for training and competence.
• Determining professional and good practice standards.
• Facilitating learning and continuous development programmes.
• Delivering qualification and certification modules specific to the life and pensions sector.
• Hosting a CPD programme of events to support the enhancement of knowledge and skills.
• Providing a wide range of services including Financial ASSESS – an online tool to assist members in the attainment and maintenance of competence.

How does the faculty help you?

As an individual member of the faculty you will gain access to a wide variety of information and services that will support you in your role. The faculty will support you by:

• Defining standards of conduct that reflect good practice.
• Promoting highest levels of professionalism.
• Acting as the centre of technical excellence and good practice that can be accessed by members, commentators, regulators and policy makers.
• Working closely with stakeholders, such as the regulator, in making relevant and timely comment on policy discussions.
• Providing an extensive range of examination subjects to demonstrate your knowledge, understanding and application of life and pensions. Examples of some of the available units are:
  1. UK financial services, regulation and ethics
  2. Life office administration
  3. Pensions office administration
  4. Investment and risk
  5. Financial protection
  6. Retirement planning
  7. Long-term business
  8. Marketing
  9. Life assurance
  10. Life and disability underwriting
  11. Life and disability claims
• Continuing Professional Development – the true mark of a life and pensions professional. Most professions now recognise that the achievement of professional qualifications is not the end of learning at work; it marks a new stage of professional development which continues throughout working life. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) seeks to formalise what most professionally qualified members are already doing.
• Provision of a programme of training and learning support that is relevant to members’ needs and reflects good market practice, is of a high standard of technical accuracy and which reflects the FSA’s requirements.
• Faculty members will benefit from access to:
  1. A dedicated website providing news, up-to-date information on faculty issues, events, best market practices and technical briefings.
  2. A tailored CPD events programme.
  3. Specific faculty information provided online through the CII website including CII Information Services with over 1,000 sources of information specifically relating to life and pensions.
  4. Regular email alerts, news updates and factsheets.