Glasgow college in CII first

Cardonald College, one of Glasgow’s further education colleges, has become the first Scottish education institution to receive Accredited Provider status from the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII).

The College is now accredited to offer the CII’s Certificate in Financial Planning course, which is the benchmark qualification for financial advisers.

Helen Williamson, Section Leader for Business, Retail and Tourism at Cardonald College, welcomed the decision. She said: “We are delighted that the College is the first to receive accreditation status and are very excited about embarking on this new venture which will enhance our education provision and expand our existing business offering.

“Due to recent discussions at Government level about raising the profile of the fast growing financial sector, we were very keen to get involved in providing training for financial services. The College considered various training options and after much research, realised that employers want people who have, or are working towards, the Certificate in Financial Planning. We made the decision to work towards becoming an accredited provider of such services and are extremely pleased to now be able to offer courses that comply with the Chartered Insurance Institute’s guidelines.

“With plans in place to expand the financial district along the River Clyde, we are confident that our financial services students will have exciting times ahead. As a college, we will continue to do our bit to provide new employees to the sector and aim to increase our financial services provision over the coming years.”

Caspar Bartington, CII’s Relationship Manager for Further and Higher Education, said: “I was immediately impressed by the College’s professionalism and commitment to launching the programme. The delivery team has put considerable work into gaining Accredited status - they will now reap the benefits through an enhanced profile, support from the CII and heightened employer engagement.”