In response to increased demand for professional adviser accreditation, ratings and research firm FE is launching the FE Analytics Certification. The accreditation provides advisory firms with an independent benchmark when looking to hire top talent, while also providing advisers and paraplanners with a way to enhance their personal development as well as demonstrate their capabilities.

With more than 80 of the top 100 advisory firms using FE Analytics to help run their investment processes – helping firms to run not just fund selection, but also risk measurement, portfolio comparisons and thorough due diligence – the launch of the FE Analytics Certification comes in response to requests from FE customers for a formalised accreditation on the tool they use daily.

The FE Analytics Certification will allow individual advisers and paraplanners to gain the most out of FE Analytics through modular or bespoke training from the highly qualified FE Academy trainers, followed by an examination.

The training programme has been developed so that advisers and paraplanners can make the most of FE Analytics – and those undertaking training on FE Analytics can also claim structured CPD credits to support their Continual Professional Development.

Gary Wheeler, director at FE, says: “Our client base, which compromises over a third of UK advisers, has provided clear feedback that they want professional training; we are happy to respond to this request.

“With a new, skilled team of training professionals, we are today launching the FE Academy, which provides training on FE’s products for advisers and paraplanners both online and face-to-face. This training includes a number of modules and includes the new FE Analytics Certification, allowing those working in financial advisory businesses to further professionalise their use of our research and investment tools.

“Firms tell us that having staff who can use FE Analytics to a high level of competency is often a key deciding factor in recruiting new staff, and we felt it important to recognise this by introducing the FE Analytics Certification. Users can sit a series of training modules, resulting in an online examination to gain the accreditation.

“We have also taken this opportunity to bring added structure to our training options, which now allow for a variety of off-the-shelf modules or custom training tailored to the needs of advisers and paraplanners. The modules cater for different roles and tasks, as well as options for people working in financial advisory businesses or asset management and institutions.”

Neil Holmes, paraplanner at Lovewell Blake Financial Planning, says that the new accreditation will grow firms’ technical innovation and personal development.

He says: “We are delighted to hear that FE is launching a formal certification for FE Analytics. Our staff will be taking the examination as soon as possible, and it really supports our firm’s commitment to technical innovation and personal development as independent financial advisers.”