Leading Australian life insurance specialist, TAL, has reported that its adviser education program, TAL Risk Academy, is finishing the year with the strongest uptake rates recorded since it launched four years ago.
The record performance follows the introduction of the Risk Academy masterclasses earlier this year to help financial advisers prepare for the Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority (FASEA) examinations.
Shortly after the introduction of the FASEA exam masterclasses in July 2019, TAL Risk Academy increased its offering from 16 classes to 60, to meet the demand from advisers across the country. The courses were booked out with almost 2,500 advisers subscribed and over 12,000 CPD hours of education provided towards advisers' FASEA accreditation.
In addition to the exam support course program, TAL Risk Academy also introduced courses during 2019 to meet the new FASEA CPD requirements and became one of the first in the industry to adopt new FASEA CPD accreditation.
TAL Head of Licensees and Partnerships, Beau Riley, said the key to the courses' success lies in their product-agnostic nature, and the fact that they have been designed to support all advisers, from those new to the industry to the very experienced.
"We took a practical approach in guiding advisers through what for many is a potentially daunting process. Throughout the year, we listened to feedback from licensees and advisers and made sure our courses were fit-for-purpose and evolving at the same speed as market developments to meet advisers' needs.
"We are extremely pleased with the positive responses from the adviser community. This recognition encourages us to continue to provide the best support we can to advisers as they build their capabilities, which ultimately leads to improvements in the quality of advice for all Australians,' said Mr Riley.
"The demand for this educational support will only grow in the new year and we will continue to support advisers by providing greater flexibility and a wider range of courses."
TAL Risk Academy has also introduced new webinar sessions which aim to provide advisers with the latest updates around FASEA education requirements and seek feedback from advisers around their priority focus areas for training and development.
With the Risk Academy masterclasses attracting a fee that is donated to charity, TAL donated a record $209,900 to the Australian Business and Community Network (ABCN) Scholarship Foundation this year. The ABCN is a not-for-profit organisation that connects business with disadvantaged children to improve their education. Through TAL Risk Academy, TAL is funding 14 of the 31 ABCN scholarships awarded in 2020.
The new TAL Risk Academy Prospectus will be available for licensees and advisers from January 2020, which will see new courses and Masterclasses, including courses focused on understanding, interpreting and applying the Code of Ethics as well as working groups to assist advisers in getting exam-ready. To find specific locations and dates and enroll in upcoming Masterclasses, advisers can visit: https://adviser.tal.com.au/risk-academy.
