Attivo is opening a training school to ensure all client-facing staff will be qualified up to Chartered status level six.
The academy will ensure they all have at least 70 hours CPD each year – double the hours actually required by the regulator.
All new staff will undergo Attivo’s induction process and individual training plans, with a calendar of formalised training sessions being delivered to employees.
Stephen Harper, chief executive of Attivo Group, explained that the regulator has been steadily encouraging the industry towards higher qualifications and better awareness of client needs.
“Our business model starts with our client engagement team and not an adviser, which is unique in this industry.
“The academy will also provide a thorough grounding in all aspects of financial planning and advice provision and will be open to all staff who have a role in the client experience - not just planners and para-planners but also the business-critical client engagement team and other support staff.
He added that very few IFAs are able to offer this level of training support to their staff and very few larger advice brands are willing to devote a significant sum to develop their people.
Attivo’s academy has been a year in preparation and begins with a bespoke course designed by Tony Burkinshaw of Burkinshaw Consulting.
The new training academy follows Sesame Bankhall Group announcing it is set to close the Financial Adviser School it set up in 2011.
According to Stephen Gazard, managing director of the group, the decision not to offer an appointed representative network option for wealth firms means the school will no longer accept new recruits.
In a missive sent to Sesame Bankhall Group member firms yesterday (20 April), he wrote: “The strategic decision not to offer an AR network option for wealth firms will naturally lead to some changes to the way we organise ourselves.”
emma.hughes@ft.com
