The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) has pledged to put greater emphasis on members’ professional standards and pilot changes to how assessments and qualifications are delivered.
It will also launch an interactive professional map tool allowing professionals and employers to assess organisational knowledge and skills gaps and find ways to fill them.
The plans feature in the body’s Shaping the Future report following a consultation launched after a failed attempt by the CII to de-register the PFS as an independent body and take it under full control along with the four other societies it fully funds and operates.
Under the plans in the next 12 months the CII will:
• Pilot changes to the assessment method for the R06 Financial Planning Practice qualification.
• Pilot changes to the way qualifications are delivered, with a digital qualification format to be offered for international qualifications.
• Launch the professional map, an interactive tool that allows professionals and employers to self-assess knowledge and skills gaps and find ways to fill them.
• Engage with practitioner advisory groups to design qualification structures for the future evolution of the professional map.
Helen Phillips, chairwoman of the CII, said: “We have listened, learned, and acted to deliver what our members told us they need to raise public trust in the power of the insurance and financial planning profession.
“Professionals are proud to achieve CII qualifications and we have listened to feedback that we should not dilute the value our assessments have in highlighting a high level of technical ability.
“We will ensure we pilot changes to our qualifications and only introduce modern assessment methods and behavioural content following consultation with relevant stakeholders.”
Focus on engagement and standards
Turning to membership, the CII and Personal Finance Society (PFS) have committed to working together to achieve greater recognition from policymakers and other key stakeholders of the power of insurance and financial planning to improve the public’s resilience.
The report reveals the professional body will:
- Engage with volunteer-led local institutes, membership societies and regional committees to share examples of good practice in the profession.
- Share examples of good practice with the regulator and policymakers with the aim of shaping future regulation and guidance for the profession.
- Place greater emphasis on adherence to professional standards when professionals apply for and renew their membership.
- Communicate to consumers the value of choosing a chartered firm.
- Provide more information about how issues regarding member and firm misconduct can be resolved.
- Appoint a new leader of the Personal Finance Society.
- Build on and implement the business plan for the Personal Finance Society.
Sarah Lord, president of the Personal Finance Society, said: “The Personal Finance Society board recognises that the CII has listened to its members and is evolving its strategy to reflect the range of feedback received.
“A core focus of our PFS strategic plan, to be shared at our 2022 Annual General Meeting, is the development of the professional qualification framework delivered by the CII, so it is great to see that this sits high on the agenda for the CII too.
“It is clear our members want a continued focus on championing how the profession truly delivers holistic advice by putting clients, not products, at the heart of what we do.
“They also want to achieve greater appreciation from policymakers and other key stakeholders in the power of financial planning, recognising the role we play in building public confidence.
“The PFS board is focused on continuing to enable all members to enhance their skills, improve their services, continuously raise the bar of professionalism and will be working with our colleagues at the CII to achieve this.”
The report concludes that the next 12-months of work will “provide a strong framework” for the development of the CII’s next five-year strategy, set to be published in early 2023.
Jonathan Clark, who will step down as interim CEO of the CII next month when Alan Vallance joins the professional body, added: “I firmly believe our future success will continue to be down to the way we come together – as we have done in the past – to understand and meet the needs of insurance and financial planning professionals for strong value propositions that enable their development.”