The Financial Adviser School (FAS), which is owned by Old Mutual Wealth, is planning to offer a standalone soft skills training course for advisers. It is part of two new training programmes FAS is rolling out.
The soft-skills-only course is aimed at qualified advisers who wish to supplement their existing skill set with training in non-technical competencies including customer service, behavioural finance, and building trust with clients.
Darren Smith, head of FAS, said: “We’re excited about this opportunity to broaden our support for the financial planning sector by helping to train the next generation of mortgage advisers and offering practising advisers the opportunity to add to their skill set.
“At FAS, our purpose is to help to train the next generation of financial advisers, promoting growth in the financial planning sector and enabling more customers to access the benefits of face-to-face advice.”
The growing occupation the advisory sector has with soft skills has been driven by the shift from product selling to financial planning.
Keith Churchouse, chartered financial planner from Chapters Financial, said: “Financial planning is so much more than product selling. You need to find out what motivates the client, what makes them tick, and the underlying emotion behind a decision.
“Soft skills are often overlooked by firms, but it is a vital part of the role.”
The other training being offered by FAS is a level-three qualification required to give advice on mortgages.
These two new programmes will expand on the school’s existing offering, which includes the core 58-week programme for aspiring financial advisers and the programme for existing mortgage and protection advisers who wish to obtain the full DipFA.
Old Mutual Wealth bought FAS from Sesame Bankhall Group in February 2016 and operates it on a not-for-profit basis.
Earlier this year the first three cohorts of students graduated from the programme, with one more cohort due to graduate in the coming weeks.
The majority of students who study with FAS are sponsored through the programme by a financial planning firm, and they typically combine study with an existing role within the business.
