FAS is a non-profit entity, which is part of Old Mutual Wealth, set up to support the training and development of the next generation of financial advisors.

Old Mutual Wealth’s Financial Adviser School (FAS) will expand its support for the financial planning sector by offering two new standalone training programmes.

FAS will offer a package for candidates looking to obtain their Certificate in Mortgage Advice and Practice (CeMAP), the level 3 qualification required to give advice on mortgages, the firm said in a statement.

Old Mutual Wealth’s Financial Adviser School (FAS) will expand its support for the financial planning sector by offering two new standalone training programmes.

FAS will offer a package for candidates looking to obtain their Certificate in Mortgage Advice and Practice (CeMAP), the level 3 qualification required to give advice on mortgages, the firm said in a statement.

It will also launch a standalone soft-skills-only course for qualified advisors that wish to supplement their existing skill set with training in non-technical competencies including customer service, behavioural finance, and building trust with clients.

This launch is an expansion on the school’s existing offering. It means FAS will be able to accept candidates into four different training packages:

- The core 58 week programme for aspiring financial advisors.
- The programme for existing mortgage and protection advisors who wish to obtain the full DipFA.
-  CeMAP course for candidates that wish to give advice on mortgages (launches August 2017).
- Soft-skills training for advisors that want to complement their existing skill-set with training in a range of modules tailored to the financial advice profession (will be launched in October 2017).

“We’re excited about this opportunity to broaden our support for the financial planning sector by helping to train the next generation of mortgage advisors and offering practicing advisors the opportunity to add to their skillset” said head of the Financial Adviser School, Darren Smith. “At FAS our purpose is to help to train the next generation of financial advisors, promoting growth in  the financial planning sector and enabling more customers to access the benefits of face to face advice. We have already helped 18 financial advisors kick-off their career by obtaining their Diploma in Financial Advice, and we currently have another 73 students currently studying with us. Today’s announcement means we will be able to extend out support to even more firms and we look forward to welcoming cohorts onto the new programmes.”