Standards Int'l and ifs School of Finance join forces

Standards International and the ifs School of Finance are embarking on a joint venture to improve the skills and knowledge of financial advisers.

The British Standards ISO 22222 certification body will promote the learning and assessment opportunities offered by the ifs, and in exchange the ifs has agreed to do the same.

The agreement comes as both organisations had reported surges in interest for their respective offerings.

Standards International said recently it has received "unprecedented demand" from advisers wanting to gain certification for its kitemark, the international standard for financial advisers.

The ifs School of Finance says it has also seen a "significant" spike in registrations for its Level 4 Diploma for Financial Advisers (DipFA).

Vice-principal at the ifs Anne Kiem says: "Thousands of advisers are taking our new Level 4 Diploma for Financial Advisers (DipFA) to meet forthcoming FSA requirements.

"Inevitably many of these advisers will then seek to further enhance their skills and experience so progressing to ISO certification will be a logical approach for most."