Cybersecurity is one of Australia’s national security priorities and is a critical issue for all businesses. Kaplan Professional’s Cybersecurity library has been developed in response to fundamental provisions in the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act) and to assist businesses educate their employees on cyber threats and the importance of cybersecurity.

The Cybersecurity library is suitable for anyone who requires on-going and up-to-date knowledge of cybersecurity. Its practical and relevant content is designed to provide skills and knowledge on cybersecurity awareness, information and data security, risk management, and prevention of digital and cyber attacks. Content also covers relevant regulations and standards.

Recent legislation changes and the fallout from the Royal Commission has put an intense spotlight on licensees and financial advisers, making it imperative they keep up-to-date with continuing education obligations and stay abreast of a constantly evolving regulatory environment.

Kaplan Professional is the acknowledged leader in the provision of industry continuing education and has been at the forefront of innovation for over 25 years. We’re passionate about encouraging advisers to embrace lifelong learning, while providing them with the knowledge and capability to elevate their performance for the benefit of their clients.

The Financial Advice library is suitable for financial advisers who are required to meet continuing professional development (CPD) requirements. Content is published in each of the CPD areas: Technical Competence, Client Care and Practice, Regulatory Compliance and Consumer Protection, Professionalism and Ethics, and General. The library also includes a Professional and Technical Reading online magazine published quarterly. All content published in the library is designed to meet ‘qualifying CPD activity’ requirements.

Note: It is the responsibility of the responsible licensee to ensure approved CPD meets ‘qualifying CPD activity’. Ontrack CPD is accredited and recognised by leading industry associations such as the Financial Planning Association (FPA), Association of Financial Advisers (AFA) and CPA Australia.

Kaplan Professional’s General Financial Services library is suitable for those who are required to meet continuing professional development (CPD) obligations under the Australian Securities and Investment Commission’s (ASIC) RG 146 requirements and/or credit and mortgage broking responsibilities.

This library is suitable for anyone who requires CPD on a wide range of topics across the financial services sector, including those providing general advice. It may also be suitable for:

• Managers
• Risk and compliance managers
• Responsible managers
• Back office and support staff
• Bank tellers
• IT systems staff
• Business analysts
• Anyone who requires broad, on-going and up-to-date knowledge of financial services

Note: This library is not suitable for financial advisers.

Kaplan Professional’s Investment Management library is suitable for participants in wholesale financial markets such as investment managers and fund managers. Its in-depth and topical content is designed to provide up-to-date knowledge on investment management, portfolio construction, assets classes, markets and trends.

Kaplan Professional has curated an Ontrack subscription library specifically for professional year (PY) participants. The library provides current and up-to-date content relevant for new entrants to financial advice.

The content covers fundamental technical concepts, critical financial advice processes and practices, regulatory changes, client engagement, current trends, ethical practices, and real-life scenarios. The content is pitched at an introductory-level appropriate for new entrants and uses a range of formats and durations to encourage engagement and interaction.

The library can be utilised as part of the structured training component of the PY.

In addition, it encourages and builds lifelong learning skills in participants and ensures a seamless transition to meeting their CPD requirements once they successfully complete their PY.

The Ontrack Professional Year library also ensures a licensee’s PY participants gain consistent experience and level of knowledge. It allows licensees and their supervisors to monitor progress and initiate relevant discussions.

The library covers the key PY competency areas: 

• Technical Competence
• Client Care and Practice
• Regulatory Compliance and Consumer Protection
• Professionalism and Ethics

Kaplan Professional’s Tier 2 Compliance library is suitable for those who are required to meet Tier 2 continuing professional development (CPD) obligations under the Australian Securities and Investment Commission’s (ASIC) Tier 2 RG 146 requirements. It covers deposit products and non-cash facilities, general insurance, generic knowledge, ethics and skills.

Kaplan Professional’s Compliance Training enables you to deliver compliance and soft skills training to your organisation in an interactive and engaging way.

Developed in conjunction with one of Australia’s best e-learning consultants, leading corporate organisations and specialist legal firms, content is both legally approved and addresses the dynamic needs of businesses today.

Each digital module takes 20 to 30 minutes to complete, making it an efficient and effective medium to deliver training to employees. Modules can be purchased as a package or individually, depending on your organisation’s needs.

Modules:

• Bullying in the office
• Cybersecurity
• Wellbeing in the workplace
• Money laundering and terrorism financing
• Equity and diversity
• Fraud awareness
• Privacy awareness
• Social media

Duration: 20-30 minutes per module

Price: $15.75 per module ($78.75 for all 8 modules)

Kaplan Professional’s ‘Empower Suite’ of microlearning modules enables you to deliver soft skills training to your organisation in an interactive and engaging way.

Developed in conjunction with one of Australia’s best e-learning consultants, leading corporate organisations and specialist legal firms, content is both legally approved and addresses the dynamic needs of businesses today.

Each digital module takes 15 minutes to complete, making it an efficient and effective medium to deliver training to employees. Modules can be purchased as a package or individually, depending on your organisation’s needs.

Modules

• Grow your communication
• The game of persuasion
• Mindful listening
• Challenging customer perceptions
• Be a storyteller

Duration: 15 minutes per module

Price: $15.75 per module ($52.50 for all 5 modules)

The ETFs and Portfolio Construction short course is delivered in partnership with BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager. The 100% online short course focuses on global investment trends with an emphasis on the increasing popularity of ETFs.

Over six modules, you’ll examine new ways of investing, including fixed income ETFs, factor investing and thematic ETFs. You’ll also learn how to compare and contrast the different types of ETFs available, and analyse the key considerations to evaluate which one to invest in.

On completion of the course, you should be able to:

• Discuss global investment trends with an emphasis on the increasing popularity of ETFs.
• Explain the features and associated risks and benefits of an ETF.
• Compare and contrast ETFs and active managed funds.
• Apply best practice principles when trading ETFs and examine the importance of liquidity.
• Examine new ways of investing, including fixed income ETFs, factor investing and thematic ETFs.
• Compare and contrast the different types of ETFs available and analyse key considerations to evaluate which one to invest in.
• Apply a four-step process to construct ETF and blended portfolios.
• Illustrate the role of ETFs within a portfolio in managing risk, maximising returns and achieving non-financial investor aspirations.

Modules

1. Overview of the ETF market
2. An introduction to ETFs
3. Liquidity and trading
4. ETFs: New ways of investing
5. Choosing the right ETF
6. ETFs and portfolio construction

Who is the short course suitable for?

• Financial advisers
• Stockbrokers
• Licensees (demonstrates ETF specialist knowledge)
• Prospective employers
• Clients/consumers

Price: $300 per person (Corporate rates available)

Duration: 6 hours

Assessment: Quiz at the end of each module with two attempts (minimum 70% to pass)

On completion of the short course, you’ll receive a certification of completion and be eligible to receive a digital badge. You’ll also be eligible to apply for iShares ETF certification on completion of the short course.

The Ethics for Financial Advisers short course covers the five core values and 12 standards in accordance with the Financial Planners and Advisers Code of Ethics. The short course includes theoretical concepts and practical scenarios to assist financial advisers in understanding their obligations under the code.

The course will provide continuing professional development (CPD) hours under the mandatory category of ‘Professionalism and Ethics’. There are five modules in this course. 

There are five modules in this course.

Topic 1: Ethical behaviour

On completion of the topic, you should be able to: 

• Define ‘act with integrity’ and discuss what advisers can do to build trust with their clients 
• Explain biases and barriers and evaluate the best approach when confronted with an unethical dilemma 
• Identify ‘conflicts of interest’ and apply mechanisms to manage conflicts of interest
• Discuss emotional intelligence and effective communication strategies to build and enhance the client-adviser relationship.

Topic 2: Client care

On completion of the topic, you should be able to: 

• Describe the six-step financial planning process and how it supports legislative and regulatory obligations, such as ‘best interests duty’ and ‘informed consent’
• Compare and contrast the legislative and ethical definitions of ‘best interests duty’ to ensure recommendations are in the client’s best interests
• Explain ‘informed consent’ and suggested steps required to obtain client consent
• Explain the principles of effective client engagement and communication, and strategies to overcome barriers to effective communication

Topic 3: Quality process

On completion of the topic, you should be able to:  

• Describe the value of advice and the purpose of having a clear client value proposition (CVP)
• Compare pricing models to determine what is appropriate in financial advice businesses, and consider what is ‘fair and reasonable’
• Explain how to obtain a client’s fully informed consent and the obligations of having complete and accurate record keeping when providing financial advice
• Identify an effective organisational structure and ethical culture that underpins a client-centric practice

Topic 4: Professional commitment

On completion of the topic, you should be able to: 

• Explain the key elements of a ‘profession’ and what it means to be a ‘professional’
• Discuss the relationship between compliance and ethics in promoting ethical decision making and the intent of ‘professional commitment’ according to the Code of Ethics
• Explain CPD requirements, to build competence in technical knowledge and broader business skills
• Explain what it means to hold others to account in the financial advice industry

Topic 5: Self-regulation and decision making

On completion of the topic, you should be able to: 

• Explore the concept of behavioural finance and identify the systematic and cognitive biases that lead to mistakes in investment decisions
• Describe the common ‘rules of thumb’ and the impacts of situational factors on financial decisions
• Identify strategies to self-regulate behaviour and to control emotional responses
• Discuss what can cloud judgement and lead to poor ethical decision making in the business environment and how to improve those decisions

Who is this short course suitable for? 

• Financial advisers 

Price: $195 per person (Corporate rates available)

Duration: 5 hours

Assessment: A short assessment must be completed for each module. Each assessment has a 75% pass rate. 

This short course is designed to enhance an individual’s understanding of the three main financial statements and linkages (namely the statement of financial position, the statement of profit or loss, and the statement of cash flows).

This information can be used for analysing financial performance by way of ratio analysis, the techniques used in analysing the financial position of a company and interpreting current and potential future performance.

Individuals will gain an understanding of the concept of accrual accounting, profit, cashflow and other accounting issues relevant to small and medium enterprises.

This short course would also be particularly beneficial for non-finance professionals, and also those who may wish to deepen their understanding of reading and interpreting financial statements (e.g. when providing finance to small companies and businesses).

A Certificate of Completion is awarded on successful completion.

This short course is designed for new entrants to the funds management industry.

The Australian funds management industry is one of the largest in the world.

However, with hundreds of managed products available, the industry can be bewildering for new entrants learning about the industry and how to approach their role.

Additionally, Australia has one of the most stringent regulatory regimes in the world. Understanding how managed funds are regulated is vital to appreciating how this dynamic industry operates.

Information security awareness is essential. It’s important that everyone is vigilant for suspicious behaviour that could be an indication of cybersecurity threats. If employees don’t take care to ensure the security of their work devices and there’s a data breach, the result can be catastrophic losses, repercussions and legal consequences.

This short, one-hour module discusses data breaches and examines what can be done to reduce the risk of one occurring.

The impacts and consequences of some of the more common types of attacks, such as phishing and malware, are discussed to provide a more thorough understanding of what exactly can go wrong (and how to respond appropriately).

Australia’s Modern Slavery Act 2018 is the first national legislation to define modern slavery. The Modern Slavery Act 2018 obliges entities with more than $100 million in consolidated revenue to report on the risk of modern slavery occurring in supply lines or investments.

Given the inter-connectedness of modern business and the scale of modern slavery, it’s essential to understand what modern slavery is and how it impacts financial services. This short, one-hour module will discuss the Modern Slavery Act 2018, what it sets out to achieve, and how to identify human rights risks.  It will review who needs to report, the reporting requirements, how to work with suppliers/investees, and how to respond when modern slavery is identified.

An understanding of the Privacy Act and the importance of data protection is essential for all employees. This short, one-hour duration module explores the Privacy Act 1988, and how it has evolved and increased in significance over time with the continued evolution of technology and the sophistication of cybercrime. The module covers the difference between personal and sensitive information and other key considerations of privacy and data protection. It explores the implications of data breaches, key obligations under privacy legislation, recent case studies, and some best-practice approaches.

Kaplan Professional’s Recognising Trauma and its Impact in the Workplace course has been developed specifically for business leaders, people managers and those in client-facing roles.

It is designed to provide insight into traumatic behaviour and the ability to identify possible trauma in others in order to best manage the working situation and support the individual, which may include referral to a health professional (e.g. counsellor or psychologist). It also aims to provide the ability to manage one’s own response to trauma.

Topics:

• Introduction to trauma identification
• Your implicit biases
• Impact of trauma on the brain
• Identification of possible trauma
• What to do once potential identification of trauma has been made
• Speaking with someone who may have trauma

Duration: 6 hours (45-60 minutes per topic)

Price: $265 per person (corporate rates available)

This short course is designed to enhance an individual’s understanding of the main financial statements, including:

• Statement of profit and loss
• Statement of financial position
• Cash flow statement
• Statement of comprehensive income

This Information can be used for analysing the financial position of an organisation, and interpreting current and potential future performance.

On completion of this course, individuals will gain an understanding of profit, cashflow and other major accounting issues.

This short course is designed as an induction course for new entrants to the financial services industry. It provides a comprehensive understanding of the operations of the industry, the financial products used within the industry, and the markets for these products.