Financial Advice New Zealand has announced its newest partnership with Kaplan Professional, with the collaboration expected to provide its members with access to the Ontrack continuing education platform.
Kaplan Professional is an Australian provider of financial services education and continuing professional development (CPD), rooted in the industry for over 30 years. Financial Advice NZ is the professional body for financial advisers within New Zealand. It has a membership of over 1,500.
Over the past 12 months, Kaplan Professional and Massey University have delivered new educational pathways in the industry, including a certificate in financial advice (Level 5), diploma in business studies (financial advice), and bachelor of business (financial planning and advice).
“The partnership of Financial Advice NZ and Kaplan Professional was a natural progression after the formal qualification structure, to enhance career pathways and deliver education and training services to all financial advisers in New Zealand,” Financial Advice NZ chief executive Katrina Shanks said. “This progression supports Level 5 through to a bachelor of business studies and then competency and knowledge through CPD.”
Under the Ontrack continuing education platform, Financial Advice NZ members can obtain ongoing competence within their field and the knowledge to deliver advice under the Code of Professional Conduct for Financial Advice Services – Standard 9.
A purpose-built content library specifically designed for financial services professionals has also been set up by Kaplan Professional with support from Financial Advice NZ. Members of the latter can avail of the following benefits:
“We are excited to partner with Financial Advice NZ, connecting one of the world’s leading continuing education platforms with New Zealand’s trusted financial advice association,” Kaplan Professional chief executive officer Brian Knight said.
With Ontrack gaining traction in New Zealand, Knight said that they are confident the partnership “will provide financial advisers and FAPS with the best CPD content, reporting and platform available to maintain ongoing competence and knowledge under Standard 9.”
According to Kaplan Professional, significant investment has been made towards Ontrack and ensuring that it is the premium CPD in New Zealand, with Knight citing its “high-quality technical content, multimedia variety, robust assessments, cutting-edge user experience, and sophisticated monitoring and reporting capabilities” as major factors.
“The new regime has bought additional costs and compliance obligations for professional development and record keeping, and the Ontrack learning management system will provide an effective solution,” Shanks said. “We believe with this partnership, we will deliver continuing professional development in a modern, relevant, and engaging manner. It will assist the sector to thrive and enhance the quality of financial advice and provide value and support to Financial Advice NZ members.”
FAPs were recently reminded of the questionnaire information that will be appearing in their regulatory returns, as provided by the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) - Te Mana Tātai Hokohoko.
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