AIOFP launches adviser graduate course

The new diploma program is a partnership with the Adelaide Institute of Business and Technology (AIBT) and complies with the recommendations of the parliamentary committee on financial planning, the AIOFP told ifa.

The AIOFP has the overall responsibility of promoting the course while the AIBT will be delivering the education program under the chairmanship of Sarath Delpachitra – a professor in finance at the University of Technology Sydney.

Speaking to ifa, Mr Delpachitra said, “Upon completion of the Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning, the diploma holder will meet the basic financial planning qualifications that can be used to enter the industry and the master's program as required by 2024.” 

The course has been developed in response to demand for a cost-effective and flexible way of meeting the new adviser education standards, Mr Delpachitra said. 

“A salient feature of the program is that advisers can study in their own space and at their own time with a program that is delivered in a mix mode (including an online delivery option with limited face-to-face interaction either by live classrooms or webinars).

“Furthermore, it cuts the cost considerably because of the involvement of AIOFP and AIBT, which do not require university-style, costly administrative structures.”  

The current partnership will be further extended to a master's program, which could provide a pathway for the diploma holders to continue their studies and complete the final requisite of a master's qualification, professor Delpachitra said.