One of Australia’s largest licensee and advice services providers, Industry Fund Services (IFS), and leading education provider Kaplan Professional have partnered to build a proposed education solution for superannuation funds that aims to define a clear career progression pathway from service staff providing general advice to practitioners providing personal advice. The crux of the initiative centres on how to support industry participants with ongoing specialist education and training throughout the entirety of the career lifecycle, including tailored courses, accreditations and ongoing continuing professional development (CPD). It is specifically targeted at superannuation funds, predominately roles relating to front-line call centres, general advice and education delivery teams. IFS and Kaplan Professional have consulted with industry to identify what the evolving needs of superannuation funds are when it comes to both reducing the maturity time of new staff development and increasing the supply of talent to fill current and emerging specialist roles. Two newly-released programs form a central component of the proposed solution. The first is Superannuation Industry Induction, which is a foundational module that introduces newly hired individuals to the superannuation industry. The second is the General Advice Specialisation – Superannuation, which is designed to meet not only essential Regulatory Guide 146 general advice requirements, but also to develop individuals’ expertise in engaging clients effectively and confidently to deliver general advice. The proposed education solution considers specific roles, and the right mix of client engagement together with the ethical, technical and regulatory training required to be skilled in their roles. It is intended to provide a quality benchmark that is both obtainable and cost-effective at scale across the superannuation industry. IFS Executive Manager – Advice Solutions Adrian Gervasoni said both organisations have brought together their respective strengths to create a compelling industry offering that aims to be a solution for superannuation funds to create a talent pool for the future. “The proposed education solution is designed for industry participants to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to build their careers beyond entry-level roles and into providers of both general, and later, personal advice. “IFS brings a deep understanding of what superannuation funds need and where there are gaps in current education offerings – we believe the proposed education solution can be incorporated into our broader range of consultancy and service offerings to superannuation funds. “Kaplan Professional is one of the most respected financial services educators, with a long history of working with the advice and superannuation industry in the delivery of formal education and high-quality CPD training for over 30 years,” he said. Kaplan Professional Chief Executive Officer Brian Knight said the proposed education solution is designed to help take industry participants beyond their required regulatory training to develop critical job-ready skills for the future. “The focus on fundamental knowledge and technical skills relevant to specific roles in the superannuation industry, coupled with the development of client engagement skills has resulted in a unique offering – the aim of the proposed education solution is to make the onboarding of new employees more effective and efficient for superannuation funds. “These programs will essentially provide the educational foundation for superannuation employees to pursue further studies into areas that align with their future career prospects in the industry, while simultaneously meeting the current training demands of superannuation funds. “Our goal as an educator is to deliver initiatives that lift the quality of advice; we have been corporate partners with IFS for many years, and we look forward to again being at the forefront and leading the industry in meeting standards,” he said. With enrolments now open for the General Advice Specialisation – Superannuation and Superannuation Industry Induction programs, superannuation funds are encouraged to engage with IFS and Kaplan Professional to conduct tailored education pathway assessments for their employees across all suitable roles. This will help determine whether employees are eligible to receive recognition of prior learning for the first two subjects of the General Advice Specialisation – Superannuation program, and commence directly into the third subject ‘Client Engagement Skills in Financial Services’. Both organisations can also support superannuation funds with Superannuation Industry Induction program enrolments for staff who are new to the industry, or individual education pathways for those who want to become financial advisers in the longer term.