Professional development
Pathways to professionalism

Colin Morrison, the Institute’s Director of Education, highlights the various routes open to candidates to achieve the new Chartered Banker qualification.

The new qualification will be launched this autumn and the programme will offer a variety of features to help support students on their learning journey. There are several ways of achieving Chartered Banker status and candidates can follow different pathways depending on their experience and previous qualifications.

The Institute has designed routes to suit the educational background, individual learning styles, experience and working circumstances of candidates. These routes include Open Entry, Accelerated, Professional Conversion and Learning Partnership.

The Open Entry route is geared at those who want a professional banking qualification regardless of their previous qualifications or experience. Candidates start by studying the Professional Banker programme, completing both the Certificate and Diploma programmes at this level. On completion of the Professional Banker Diploma, individuals progress to an Advanced Diploma which develops their knowledge and understanding of the different aspects of banking. On completion of the Advanced Diploma, candidates can move on to Chartered Banker and are required to complete three further modules. The Open Route will also provide opportunities for candidates to enter and exit the programme at various points depending on their qualifications. Candidates may also have a choice of study paths depending on their individual needs.

The Accelerated route is designed for candidates who are on a managed learning programme with their employer and expect to achieve Chartered Banker status within a period of around two years.

To achieve Chartered Banker status, candidates must study Professional Banker plus five modules at Chartered Banker level. On this route, candidates study fewer modules than Open Entry but these modules are larger and at a higher level. This route is generally aimed at graduates or experienced bankers.

The Professional Conversion route, meanwhile, is open to candidates who hold the Institute’s Diploma in Investment Planning or other compliance qualification and to holders of recognised professional accountancy qualifications. Other professional conversion routes may be developed in time.

The Learning Partnership route is open to candidates who have completed accredited or bespoke programmes that have been accredited by the Institute. This will give enhanced standing to the programme depending on the nature of the accreditation. In cases such as the Bangor University Chartered Banker/MBA it will lead to the full award. The Institute will also continue to offer the SMART route to Chartered Banker in conjunction with Reed Learning. The SMART route offers senior managers the opportunity to gain Chartered Banker status through the accreditation of their prior learning and experience.

The new programme will be launched in stages with all new Chartered Banker students taking part from the end of October 2011. The first stage of the launch will involve enrolments for compulsory and core modules as follows:

• Professionalism, Ethics and Regulation (Compulsory)
• Credit and Lending (Core)

New support materials for these programmes will become available soon after enrolment opens at the end of October. The first examinations for these modules will be held from 1 March 2012.

There will be a phased launch of the other modules during 2012. The following two core modules will be available for enrolment from 1 May 2012:

• Risk Management in Banking
• Contemporary Issues in Banking

The first examinations for these two modules will be available from 1 September 2012. The optional modules will become available for enrolment from 1 September 2012 with first examinations being available by 1 December 2012. The optional modules are:

• Applied Business and Corporate Banking
• Retail Banking Operations and Regulation
• Banking for High Net Worth Individuals

The phased launch of the programme means that the new programme is aimed at new entrants who enrol after October 2011.

Candidates currently studying on the programme are encouraged to continue with their studies and complete the existing Chartered Banker programme. There will be an option to transfer to the new course later in 2012 as modules become available, but this will depend on the number of examined credits that candidates have completed in the existing programme.

The Institute will be communicating with individual candidates over the next three months to outline their options, but if you would like any advice in the meantime, please telephone the Institute on 0131 473 7777.

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