The director of financial markets at the CII said it was vital that those who are part of a profession conduct themselves in a particular manner.
He said: “The CII’s membership is diverse and crosses many sectors of financial services but what binds us together is that they have signed up to a particular code of conduct that befits professional status. The public expects that, and if anyone transgresses, they could spoil that reputation for others.”
Mr Jenkins’ comments followed revelations in the latest Financial Solutions membership magazine for the Personal Finance Society, that four candidates sitting CII exams globally had been found to be in breach of exam and assessment regulations.
In one case, a student in London had looked at his phone at the end of the exam; he was reprimanded in that this was a breach of the regulations, but there was not evidence that he had been using it to his advantage during the exam.
Two candidates, from Essex and London, were found to have plagiarised significant chunks of another coursework assessment candidate. In once case, the other candidate had not given permission for the culprit to use their work.
They were reprimanded, had their courswork disallowed, told to take the CII online ethics course before taking any CII exams or assessments and excluded them from assessments and examinations for 18 months in one case, and three years in the other.
The fourth, a candidate sitting his CII exam in Kadawatha, Sri Lanka, was found with notes in his calculator case during a CII exam. He was reprimanded but there was no evidence to prove he had used the notes or that they had been taken into the exam to gain an advantage.
Mr Jenkins added: “The very reputation of the brand is at stake. There is a collective responsibility of members to build up the profession. Financial planning, for example, is playing an important role in society and the majority of people do the right thing. So when something like this happens, it is important that it is investigated and appropriate, fair, proportionate discipline is applied.”
