Dealer group Securitor has announced plans to launch a paraplanning academy in the second half of 2008 in response to the shortage of paraplanners in the industry.
"We launched the concept to the network at the Securitor convention last month and the interesting thing was the overwhelming degree of interest we received; it was incredibly positive," Securitor head Neil Younger said.
The course is aimed at those already in the industry who have a minimum PS146 competency and are looking to increase their skill set.
"It's a challenge in this environment to find staff and then to put them into the business and train them effectively, so [the dealer group network] saw that having Securitor perform that function with them was a great concept," Younger said.
The course will include six days of training over a 12-month period to allow attendees to go back after each session and apply what they have learnt to their business.
Regular consultations with Securitor's paraplanning and consulting staff will also be available to attendees in between training days.
Securitor will begin taking enrolments for the academy in the next few months and said it had already received many expressions of interest.
Around 30 places will be offered in the first 12 months, however, Younger indicated that might be a conservative number given the level of interest so far.
The 2007 Hays Banking Salary Survey found the shortage of paraplanners was forcing employers to pay a premium for quality staff, with the salary expectation for a senior paraplanner in areas of particular shortage, such as Brisbane, rising from $65,000 to $80,000 last year.
