No images? Click here Dear StakeholderIt feels like only yesterday that we celebrated the launch of the ASISA Academy Financial Markets Practitioner (FMP) Learnership in March 2022, following several years of hard work to achieve institutional accreditation with the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO). Yet, our second iteration of the FMP Learnership is about to conclude, with delegates preparing for their final external exam in April 2024. And just like that, we are also finalising arrangements for our third FMP Learnership, which kicks off in March next year. This is therefore a final call for employers in the investment management industry interested in enrolling employees or unemployed graduates in the FMP Learnership to submit their Employer Enrolment Forms. The cut-off date is Monday, 11 December 2023. The FMP qualification complies with the Financial Sector Code (FSC) criteria set out in categories B and D on the Learning Programme Matrix for scoring skills development points. Therefore, companies are also encouraged to reserve spaces for new graduates who are currently unemployed. The ASISA Academy maintains a database of unemployed eligible graduates for companies willing to partner with the ASISA Academy in creating career pathways for these graduates. Interested employers can email us for more information. NEWS FROM OTHER GRADUATE PROGRAMMESFezeka Graduate ProgrammeThe second Fezeka Graduate Programme starts in January 2024, with 12 exceptional young women from around the country participating. We look forward to hosting our second intake of Fezeka ladies at the Cape Town and Johannesburg launch events on 5 December 2023. Fezeka is an exciting industry collaboration aimed at helping the South African asset management industry improve the representation of Black women on investment teams. A recent survey conducted by ASISA showed no significant improvement in the number of female portfolio managers since the last survey in 2018, and the percentage stayed static at 17%. We would like to thank the companies below who are supporting the Fezeka Programme, either as sponsors or hosts or both. The eight graduates participating in the inaugural Fezeka Programme are concluding their second rotations at their host companies and will commence their third and final workplace rotation in January. During this 15-month programme they also participated in the FMP Learnership and will therefore join the FMP Learnership participants in writing the final external exam in April 2024.Independent Financial Advisor (IFA) InternshipWe are excited to announce that the recruitment for our 2024 ASISA Academy Independent Financial Advisor (IFA) Internship is well underway. Participating IFA host practices have already committed to hosting 40 interns starting in February 2024. The graduates selected for the IFA Internship will be placed with host practices in Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, East London, Johannesburg and Pretoria. Launched in 2016, the IFA Internship provides young Black graduates interested in pursuing a career in financial planning with the opportunity to intern with established IFA practices for 12 months. IMACS@TSiBAStudents from the TSiBA Business School participating in our 13th ASISA Academy IMACS@TSiBA Internship recently wrote their Investment Management Administration (IMA2) exams. These second-year Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Finance students were selected for the IMACS@TSiBA Internship because they have the potential to build successful careers in the savings and investment industry. If they pass their second year, including the IMA2 exams, they advance to the third year of their degree programme at TSiBA. Those who successfully complete all their courses proceed to intern at their sponsors. Companies who wish to host a student on their compulsory work experience internship in their final semester (August – November 2024) will interview and select students in April and May next year. Should your company wish to host a student, please get in touch with us. The IMACS@TSiBA Internship qualifies as a category B on the Learning Programme Matrix. This is our biggest IMACS@TSiBA Internship yet, and we are grateful to the following sponsors for making it possible to scale this programme from around 10 to 12 students a year to almost 50 students a year. RETIREMENT FUND TRUSTEE EDUCATION UPDATEIn November, we presented 12 Retirement Fund Trustee Education (RFTE) workshops to 127 trustees and principal officers. Of these workshops, four were public, two were delivered in partnership with Atleha-Edu, and six were presented to the following single funds:
The demand for our RFTE workshops in 2023 has been unprecedented. This year, we delivered a total of 154 workshops to 1 671 delegates. Of these workshops, 149 were funded by the ASISA Foundation. The remaining 5 workshops were delivered to the employees of Liberty, Botswana Public Officers Pension Fund, the Financial Sector Conduct Authority, eJoburg Retirement Fund, and Akani Retirement Administrators.
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.
We are taking enrolments for a new learning journey to be piloted early in 2024 for more experienced trustees, including those completing the Principal Officer qualification by RPL. The learning journey consists of nine workshops, each three hours long. Please click here to register your interest. An overview of RFTE workshops lined up for February and March 2024 can be found here. Trustees who attended a workshop that was delivered in partnership with Atleha-edu, presented by Tony Remas. OTHER COURSES PRESENTED IN NOVEMBER
Intembeko Investment Administrators staff members attended the UCT Investment Management Administration & Client Servicing (IMACS) Short Course.
IN CLOSINGI am grateful to the ASISA members who supported our programmes in 2023 by enrolling delegates and sponsoring graduates, which made it possible for young people to embark on a learning path with us this year. I also want to acknowledge our valued learning partners: ASISA Foundation, Atleha-Edu, Batseta and the Institute for Retirement Funds (IRFA). The content of our programmes, which are subjected to rigorous academic quality checks, are co-designed and co-presented by senior industry experts. This creates a unique and highly effective learning environment and the opportunity to interact with industry leaders. We would like to recognise the invaluable contributions made by these individuals, many of whom selflessly volunteer their time to assist the ASISA Academy in creating more opportunities for talented graduates. I would like to thank the ASISA Academy Board of Directors for their steadfast support, which is appreciated beyond measure. Of course, none of this would be possible without my loyal and passionate team at the ASISA Academy. A very big thank you to all of you for once again taking us to new learning heights in 2023. LEARN WITH USThe 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 |