The Institute of Financial Planning (IFP) has opened talks with a number of UK universities to encourage them to offer stand-alone financial planning degrees as the professional body eyes the next generation of advisers.
IFP chief executive Nick Cann says there are not enough financial advice courses available and the few that are do not have sufficient focus on practical experience. "There needs to be greater engagement with universities," Cann says. "Graduates are often criticised for their lack of skill and experience so why are we as an industry not helping them more? It is the only way to get the new blood we need." Some estimates suggest as many as 10,000 advisers will leave financial services between now and the end of 2012, the implementation deadline for the RDR. Yet replacements, Cann fea...
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