New course for would-be financial advisers

LIA (the Life Assurance Association) has announced details of an exciting new Financial Services course accredited at level 7 on the National Framework of Qualifications. The course is specifically aimed at those either working or aspiring to work in Credit Unions but would be an appropriate springboard for anyone interested in a career in Financial Services. The Credit Union Adviser course is a professional qualification leading to the designation CUA (Credit Union Adviser). Successful students will receive a Professional Diploma from University College Dublin and LIA will then offer the designation 'CUA' to these successful students.

The new course comprises four modules, and involves distance learning coupled with four three-hour lectures per module.

The CUA course has been developed by LIA, in partnership with the Credit Union Development Association (CUDA) and the Credit Union Managers Association (CUMA). Moreover it has been approved by the Financial Regulator as meeting the minimum competency requirements for specified Credit Union activities.

LIA is the Educational and Membership Association for those who give and support financial advice and the CUA is only one of 12 courses offered by the Association, including the Professional Diploma in Financial Advice, another level 7 UCD Award, which leads to the designation QFA (Qualified Financial Adviser). The QFA designation is increasingly being sought by Financial Services employers when filling vacancies, as it is the only qualification in Ireland which satisfies the Financial Regulator’s Minimum Competency Requirements across a broad range of retail financial products. The QFA is now the recognised benchmark designation for those working, or aspiring to work, in Financial Services in Ireland.

The good news is that three of the four CUA modules are also common to the Professional Diploma in Financial Advice course, so anyone who successfully completes the CUA is also half-way to achieving the QFA!

For further information on the CUA or indeed any LIA courses, please visit them at www.lia.ie or call 01-4563890.