TAL Risk Academy’s commitment to growing a healthy financial advice industry
Jason Bamford, TAL National Development Manager
Finding opportunities to participate in education and professional development programs can help financial advisers stay up to date on advice trends and provide the best possible service to clients. For new advisers, these opportunities are also integral in helping them develop and learn as they settle into a new profession.
Following recent changes in the industry, the TAL Risk Academy courses have been designed to provide flexible learning options. Building on nine years of educational expertise, the courses have evolved to address market developments and feedback from licensees and advisers.
Our 2023 program has a comprehensive suite of new and updated courses from trusted subject matter experts with multiple learning pathways, so participants can learn from the best in the profession.
New this year is our AskAnExpert Tech Series where TAL’s Technical Team will answer the most commonly asked questions submitted by advisers, based on real scenarios, ranging from SMSFs and estate planning, to business insurance, and much more.
Also new is our Ethics Month, where we dedicate the month of May to all things ethics. We have listened to partner feedback and understand the challenges advisers face to meet their ‘Ethics and Professionalism’ CPD requirements. Each week during May, a live webinar will cover a range of Ethics and Professionalism content to help advisers comply with and improve their understanding of the Code of Ethics, while managing the changes since its introduction.
By enabling advisers to provide the highest quality training to their staff, and the highest quality advice to their clients, TAL is seeking to play a role in ensuring a stronger, more prosperous profession – and ultimately provide confidence and security to those who seek financial advice.
In focus: Professional Year
Our newly launched platform PY Manager, is designed to help ease the burden for licensees, advisers, and new entrants, by enabling PY candidates to track their work activity and structured training requirements that make up the Professional Year.
Having oversight of all aspects of the Professional Year in a live and digital capacity allows for a more streamlined and less manual process. To date, supervisors and licensees have been largely reliant on manual checks, collating data through various files and emails. PY Manager specifically addresses one of the main challenges of the highly manual and time-consuming logbook requirement while demonstrating our commitment to supporting existing advisers and helping more advisers join the profession.
Through the digital hub, candidates can easily track their work hours and progress of activity, plan, and log requirements, and create learning plans with industry-aligned courses. Supervisors can also quickly access a full overview of hours and activity and sort those by type or regulation area, as well as utilise the quick sign off function; while licensees are provided with a full picture of their candidates and supervisors, with easy-to-use requirements tracking.
In addition, the TAL Risk Academy is helping new entrants make the right start in their advice career with our integrated and customisable approach to their Professional Year, to support structured training requirements. It is our hope that these workshops and masterclass content play a role in enhancing advisers’ knowledge around the Professional Year and highlight the concrete skills participants acquire by joining the program.
Education enables advisers to specialise and differentiate
Continuing education and building positive communication skills are invaluable. This, alongside developing a deep understanding of clients’ circumstances and financial goals, will help ensure that advisers are well placed to support clients and respond to their needs.
For further support visit the TAL Risk Academy at adviser.tal.com.au/risk-academy