Dear Stakeholder

It has become a tradition for the ASISA Academy to start each academic year on a celebratory note. Every January, we host graduation ceremonies in Cape Town and Johannesburg for delegates who successfully completed our UCT-endorsed short courses in the previous year and graduates who successfully completed their internships. This year we also celebrated the delegates who completed the inaugural ASISA Academy Financial Markets Practitioner (FMP) Learnership and passed their external examination in April 2023.

What made the graduation ceremonies extra special this year was the introduction of our very own academic regalia. Witnessing our graduates proudly walk across the stage dressed in academic regalia felt like a coming-of-age moment for the ASISA Academy.

A very big thank you to our guest speakers, Timothy Molteno, Managing Director and Founder of Intembeko Investment Administrators, and Mark Davids, Managing Director and Founder of Motswedi Economic Transformation Specialists, for encouraging our graduates with valuable insights and wise words.

Graduation photos will be uploaded to the ASISA Academy website before the end of February.

Some photographs captured during the Cape Town graduation ceremony.

Some photographs captured during the Johannesburg graduation ceremony.

COMING OF AGE

Over the past 16 years, the ASISA Academy has grown into a private learning institution respected not only in South Africa but also beyond our borders. In recent years we have delivered bespoke workshops for various African regulators from Botswana, Namibia, Eswatini, Zambia and Uganda.

In 2023 we also delivered a variety of courses for the following South African institutions:

• Auditor General of SA
• Digiata
• First National Bank (FNB)
• Intembeko Investment Administrators
• Momentum
• Ninety One
• Rand Merchant Bank (RMB)
• Sanlam Investments
• University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN)

Since the ASISA Academy’s inception in 2007, close to 18 000 delegates have participated in our learning programmes, with the number of delegates per year growing rapidly. By 2017, we had reached the magical number of 1 000 delegates trained in one year. In 2023, we more than tripled this number to 3 341 delegates.

We invite ASISA members to engage with us in developing learning pathways for employees who wish to develop their technical skills and broaden their knowledge about the financial services industry. All our courses can be shaped into bespoke courses that meet the unique requirements of individual companies.

NEWS FROM OUR GRADUATE PROGRAMMES

Fezeka Graduate Programme

The second Fezeka Graduate Programme kicked off in the last week of January 2024, with 12 exceptional young women from around the country participating in the orientation week hosted by our implementing partner, Joint Prosperity. The participating Black female graduates will now start the first of three work rotations at their respective host employers. Over a period of 15 months, the graduates will work at host companies, receiving competitive remuneration while at the same time participating in the ASISA Academy’s FMP Learnership.

The 12 young women who are currently participating in the second Fezeka Graduate Programme that kicked off in January 2024.

Meanwhile, the eight young women participating in the inaugural Fezeka Programme have just started their third and final work rotation. Two of the young ladies participating in our first Fezeka programme shared their inspirational stories with us, and I would like to encourage you to turn to page 45 of the ASISA Transformation Report published in December last year to read about how Fezeka has changed their lives.  

All eight Fezeka graduates are currently compiling their Portfolio of Evidence in preparation for their External Integrated Summative Assessment taking place in April 2024. They have also registered for their CFA level 1 exam, which they will write in August. The Academy would like to invite CFA 1 candidates to join our exam prep classes which will be commencing on 22 May 2024. Please email us for more information.

We are aiming to significantly scale this industry collaboration aimed at helping the South African asset management industry improve the representation of Black women on investment teams, but we need more funding. I invite you to contact me to discuss how your company can get involved and what the benefits are. Alternatively, please click here if you would like to make a financial contribution.

Independent Financial Advisor (IFA) Internship

Our eighth group of interns will complete their 12-month journey on the ASISA Academy Independent Financial Advisor (IFA) Internship at the end of February. We are pleased to report that the majority have been offered permanent positions by their host practices.

Our ninth IFA Internship, starting in February 2024, will be our biggest yet, with participating IFA host practices committed to hosting more than 40 interns. On completion of the two-week work readiness course, the interns will enter the world of work at host IFA practices in Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, East London, Johannesburg and Pretoria.

IMACS@TSiBA

The ten students who made up our 2022/2023 cohort and completed their academic programme with us in June last year have all been employed after their four-month internships at their sponsoring companies. We sincerely appreciate the partnership of ASISA members who generously support this programme year after year and encourage more companies to come on board.

Nine of the ten students who successfully completed the IMACS@TSiBA Programme with us in June 2023.

The students from the TSiBA Business School participating in our 13^th ASISA Academy IMACS@TSiBA Internship wrote their Investment Management Administration (IMA2) exams towards the end of last year. The 33 students who passed the exams have advanced to the third year of their degree programme at TSiBA, which includes a compulsory work experience internship in their final semester (August – November 2024). We are hoping that the eight students who qualified for a supplementary exam are able to achieve a pass and join their fellow students in the third year.

Again, I would like to encourage you to read about the challenges that these students face and the enormous hurdles that they have to overcome in their personal lives just to make it into the third year of their degree programme. I am very grateful to our alumni, Chane’ Hendricks and Velly Masuku, for sharing their stories on pages 37 to 40 in the ASISA Transformation Report.

Companies who wish to host a student from August to November 2024 are requested to please get in touch with us. The IMACS@TSiBA Internship qualifies as a category B on the Learning Programme Matrix.

RETIREMENT FUND TRUSTEE EDUCATION

In recent years we have seen a surge in demand for single-fund Retirement Fund Trustee Education (RFTE) workshops. Last year alone, we presented 70 single-fund workshops to 733 trustees. Our public RFTE workshops also remain popular, and in 2023, we presented 80 public RFTE workshops to 1 044 trustees and principal officers.

During the first quarter of 2024, we will be presenting a series of online public RFTE workshops, all eligible for CPD points. South African trustees and principal officers can attend these workshops at no cost. For all other participants, there will be a fee of R1 900 (excluding VAT). The line-up for February and March 2024 can be viewed here.

Foundations for Retirement Fund Trustees

In 2024, the ASISA Academy will roll out a revised version of our popular Induction Course, aligning with the new requirements of the mandatory Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) Trustee Training Toolkit. The new FSCA Toolkit must be completed by all trustees, irrespective of whether they completed the previous training. The revised ASISA Academy course – Foundations for Retirement Fund Trustees – will assist trustees in completing the amended FSCA Toolkit.

Advanced Course for Trustees

We are taking enrolments for a new learning journey to be piloted early in 2024 for more experienced trustees, including those completing the Trustee or Principal Officer qualifications. The learning journey consists of nine workshops, each three hours long. Please click here to register your interest.

LEARN WITH US

The ASISA Academy is recognised as a Level 1 B-BBEE Qualifying Small Enterprise, with more than 75% of the Academy’s beneficiaries being black South Africans. This means employers can claim 135% of their skills development spend with the ASISA Academy. Please get in touch with us to discuss how we can support your skills development requirements.

For a complete overview of learning opportunities, please visit the ASISA Academy Learning Calendar.

Please visit our website for more information on our many learning opportunities. We also invite you to interact with us on LinkedIn.

Best wishes

Alicia Davids
ASISA Academy CEO

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