A group of nearly 100 future financial planners met to learn more about the industry in Sydney this week.
They were attending a Financial Planning Careers Fair, which organisers say is designed to help participants learn about the opportunities in one of Australia’s fastest growing professions.
The Careers Fair is part of the Financial Planning Association’s (FPA) annual Financial Planning Week which runs from 23 to 29 May.
Careers Fair Chair, Vicky Ampoulos, said the event had been running for five years and attracted a large variety of people.
“There are uni students and graduates, but there are also people who are currently working elsewhere in the financial services industry who are interested in finding out how to make the transition to advice,” she said.
With such a diverse range of attendees, Ms Ampoulos said it was important that the fair program include information from advice professionals and education providers.
This year’s panel featured speakers from the FPA, the AMP Horizons Academy, financial planning firm Yellow Brick Road and Colonial First State.
“There’s an opportunity to ask questions of the panellists, and it’s also a really good source of information about education requirements, different parts of the profession, where the industry has come from and is going, and the opportunities that are open to advisers,” said Ms Ampoulos.
Two university students who made the journey from the University of Woollongong, where they are studying for their Bachelor of Finance degrees, said they were keen to learn about graduate programs.
“We’re already doing the education thing, so we’re not really interested in finding out about that. We just want to know what jobs are available when we graduate,” said one student.
They both acknowledged the growth of the industry, and the potential for a long career as a planner.
Other attendees are making a career change. “One of our speakers used to be a nurse, before she made the switch to financial planning. The attendees really like hearing those ‘day in the life’ stories,” said Ms Ampoulos.
It’s about being open and sharing information about what we do
This is Ms Ampoulos’s fourth year working on the event, and she said she enjoyed being able to give something back to the industry.
“I love getting young people engaged and excited by the profession. It’s about being open and sharing information about what we do. And that’s important not just for potential planners, but also for consumers.”
Mark Rantall, FPA CEO, opened proceedings. At a media event held on Thursday 19 May, he said that the aim of the FPA’s Financial Planning Week was to educate consumers about the importance of financial advice.
“Financial Planning Week is a really important part of the community standards and support role that we play in Financial Planning,” said Mr Rantall.
