Your IndustrySep 2 2022

CII supports new T-levels route into finance

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CII supports new T-levels route into finance
Credit: Enrico Della Pietra/Dreamstime

​​The Chartered Insurance Institute has endorsed the new Finance T-level, which will be offered to college students as a route into a career in insurance and personal finance. 

The course will be offered by education company Pearson and being launched for the first time this month.

It will consist of a nine week work placement and specialist learning across insurance practice, investments, wealth management, financial compliance, and risk analysis.

The CII is part of the panel that validates content for the two-year courses. 

Manuel Thompson-Oloko, the CII's early careers manager, said T-levels will create a pipeline of future talent into the industry. 

He said: "The T-levels aim to reach talent before they have formed definitive career paths at university, embed a value and expectation of professional learning from the earliest opportunity, improve socio-economic diversity of our talent attraction by reducing the focus on those who have been able to gain higher education qualifications and provide the right students for placements within businesses, brokered by the CII."

What are T levels?

T-levels are new two-year courses which are taken after GCSEs and are broadly equivalent in size to three A-levels. 

Launched in September 2020, these courses have been developed in collaboration with employers and education providers so that the content meets the needs of industry and prepares students for entry into skilled employment, an apprenticeship or further study.

T-levels offer students a mixture of classroom learning and ‘on-the-job’ experience during a work placement of at least 315 hours, which equates to approximately 45 days.

Suzanne Hall, Pearson head of product, said the CII’s recognition would offer peace of mind to students. 

“Knowing that CII supports the qualifications content will give them the confidence that the knowledge, skills, and behaviours they are learning are appropriate for the industry sector and valued by employers."

Last month, as students received their A-level and GCSE results, industry insiders offered their advice on why young people should consider a career in financial services.

Many pointed to the earning potential as a major selling point. 

jane.matthews@ft.com