Kaplan launches accelerated course as education deadline looms

Kicking off on 11 August, Kaplan will run an accelerated course alongside two regular intakes ahead of the deadline amid significant demand from licensees and advisers.

As laid out by the ASIC, financial advisers will have until 1 January 2026 to meet the qualification standards in the Corporations Act by either completing an approved or equivalent qualification or by utilising the 10-year experience pathway.

As such, Kaplan said the compressed course will allow advisers to complete a subject in just six weeks, rather than the usual 12, while still maintaining “the same academic rigour and assessment requirements”.

While the education provider said it would be demanding for advisers to take on such a heavy workload, it added that it could be valuable for those still struggling to tick off their required courses.

Kaplan chief executive Brian Knight said the course was coming on the back of high demand from the profession, with some advisers in considerable danger of not hitting that target before the deadline.

“Based on our student data, there are just over 1,500 advisers currently studying with us who still need to meet the education deadline – this ranges from between one and eight subjects – there are probably close to 500 who may be at real risk if we do not provide additional options,” he said.

“We are in regular contact with licensees, with dedicated teams working overtime to provide progression reports to keep them up to date with live data, helping identify adviser study gaps in meeting the education standard.”

On top of fulfilling the requirements, Knight said Kaplan is also actively engaging with licensees to ensure their advisers’ details are up to date on the Financial Advisers Register (FAR) so they don’t get caught out on 1 January.

“Another major focus for us has been working with licensees to ensure they have a complete understanding of their responsibilities to ensure their advisers’ education details are correctly registered on the FAR.”

“We feel it is our duty as an educator to ensure we can get as many advisers as possible across the line before the end of the year ... we will continue to re-assess progression statistics and if there is continued demand from both licensees and advisers, we will explore the option to add more intensives.”

For those advisers still struggling, Knight suggested that this is something they need to be looking into immediately.

“Whether they have not started their studies, have completed some study with another education provider or are currently studying with Kaplan Professional, it is recommended that they make contact with Kaplan Professional as soon as possible,” he said.

“While it is still more than achievable, it is going to require a disciplined and committed approach. However, we can support you with a personalised study plan regardless of your individual circumstances or requirements – whatever you need, we will help you.”

The condensed course format will be available for all eight core subjects of the graduate diploma of financial planning, though they will only be able to undertake one course over this study period.