Leading financial services education provider Kaplan Professional has engaged Dr Deen Sanders OAM, Deloitte leader ethics and professionalism, to help build and deliver the three bridging courses required by the Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority (FASEA). The bridging courses are aligned to FASEA’s curriculum and will combine Kaplan Professional’s deep industry understanding and education calibre with Deloitte’s global expertise, insight and capability. Due to such high demand from licensees and their financial advisers, Kaplan Professional is intending to offer enrolments for Ethics and Professionalism in Financial Advice in July if FASEA approval is granted. Pending FASEA approval, the education provider is preparing for September enrolments into the two other bridging courses: Financial Advice Regulatory and Legal Obligations and Behavioural Finance: Client and Consumer Behaviour, Engagement and Decision Making. Kaplan Professional chief executive officer Brian Knight said he was delighted to work with Deloitte and especially Dr Sanders, Partner Deloitte, as he wanted to work with the very best people available to set the benchmark for adviser education. “Together, we have assembled a team of market-leading academic and practitioner experts to build out these bridging courses. This includes Sydney University behavioural scientists, and legal and professional ethics leaders from both Sydney University and the University of New South Wales.” “The involvement of Deloitte will ensure these bridging courses are best-in-breed – unprecedented, innovative and cutting-edge, and will significantly contribute to the fabric of adviser education. We wanted to go ‘above and beyond’ the norm and transform what is available in the market. “FASEA has placed great importance on these three knowledge areas. Which is a strong indication it sees improvement in these skills as integral to the future of the profession and to advisers’ performance. “All advisers will have to complete a least one bridging course to meet the requirements, so we want to make this a valuable and engaging experience. It is imperative advisers gain practical and relevant outcomes that will benefit their career in the years to come … for the betterment of not only themselves, but the Australian public they serve,” Mr Knight said. He added the fundamental contribution of Dr Sanders in the development of the bridging courses would be an enormous asset for the credibility of the content. “Dr Sanders is renowned as a global leader in the field of ethics, trust and regulation and its impact on professional behaviour and conduct. He has a deep and profound understanding of Australia’s financial services sector. “In addition, he brings an unrivalled insight from his time at FASEA, understanding the vision for the professionalisation program in the Corporations Act to encourage sustained change in behaviour, to align with professionalism, and to champion a positive and long-term future for trusted financial advice,” he said. Expressions of interest to enrol in Ethics and Professionalism in Financial Advice are open to advisers and scheduled to start as soon as 8 July 2019 when Study Period 4 commences. Kaplan Professional is also hoping to offer Financial Advice Regulatory and Legal Obligations and Behavioural Finance: Client and Consumer Behaviour, Engagement and Decision Making in Study Period 5, which commences on 2 September 2019. If approved by FASEA, all bridging course subjects will form part of Kaplan Professional’s Graduate Diploma of Financial Planning.