The Chartered Institute of Securities & Investment (CISI) has teamed up with NextGen Planners to launch a scholarship programme to support new talent in the financial planning profession.
The initial pilot will see the creation of 20 scholarships for the CISI Investment Advice Diploma and will include the CISI Financial Planning and Advice Unit.
CISI said the programme will include exam entry and full training support from the NextGen Planners Training Contract, taking candidates to the CISI Level 4 Diploma qualification.
Sally Plant, assistant director of financial planning and education development at CISI (pictured), said: “We need to keep working to attract new talent from the next generation. We continue to innovate our offer and create new ways to engage with this young community, enabling students to see it, feel it and become the future of financial planning.
“These scholarships provide a pathway for those interested in joining the community and in addition to the CISI Educational Trust Awards, provide a means for those enthused students to grab an opportunity with both hands.”
Applications for the scholarship programme will open on 5 October 2022 at the Change Festival. The event will see the CISI and NextGen Planners welcome over 150 graduates and 200 planners for a day of technical sessions. Following the event, those interested in the scholarship programme will have until the end of November to apply, with the programme due to start in January 2023.
Adam Owen, head of content at NextGen Planners, commented: “With a value in excess of £6,000 per scholarship, this new programme will go a long way to removing one of the biggest barriers to entry to our profession. As with everything we do at NextGen Planners, we want this to be a catalyst for people who may never have thought about a career in financial planning so that we can see a broader cross section of talent joining the profession.”
