The Advice Academy, which was originally announced in March 2024, will assist professional year (PY) candidates and their supervisors, as well as employers and AFSL holders, through a “comprehensive one-stop shop service” that the FAAA said responds to the need for “centralised, trusted support and information”.
FAAA chief executive Sarah Abood said that the Advice Academy will showcase the positives of financial advice as a career and why the profession is important.
“Australia is preparing for the largest transfer of intergenerational wealth in history and financial advisers will play a critical role in supporting families to manage this,” Abood said.
“The Advice Academy website has valuable information for career changers and future advisers who want to explore what a career in financial planning could look like. It explains why becoming a financial adviser is rewarding on many levels, shares real stories from those who have made the transition, outlines what types of roles (and salaries) are available, as well as providing a simple and engaging five-step pathway for potential financial planners.
“This includes a timeline of how long each step is likely to take, helping future advisers plan ahead for the journey to becoming a licensed professional adviser.”
Kaplan Professional has built structured training modules that will be offered through the Advice Academy, while there will also be mentoring through the Art of Mentoring (for both PY candidates and PY supervisors), an online PY tracker tool to record PY hours, and access to FAAA webinars, networking events and careers support through FAAA Careers and Striver.
The website also lists the current approved degrees for financial advisers and the institutions that provide them, as well as information on the FAAA’s Career Centre and Striver Careers activities.
The structured learning component of the PY is provided as part of Advice Academy, with Kaplan Professional building a series of individual modules to assist PY candidates to gain their 100 structured training hours.
The learning modules can be purchased by FAAA members who are in PY or by someone who is purchasing on behalf of an FAAA member undertaking their PY. Each individual module will attract 20 structured training hours for the PY candidate. The modules will be released throughout the remainder of 2025.
The Art of Mentoring matches PY candidates and PY supervisors with mentors for a small administrative fee. FAAA members are encouraged to become mentors who can provide guidance, support and real-world advice. As well as being able to give back to their profession, mentors can build their own connections and learn from their mentees. There are no fees charged to mentors.
The FAAA PY tracker tool is free to members and an easy way for PY candidates and their supervisors to log hours throughout their PY program.
Advice Academy is also supported by a range of gold sponsors, including WT Financial Group, Xplan, Zurich Assure, HUB24, AMP, and Vanguard, and Australian Retirement Trust as a silver sponsor.
