Air and mortgage club Simplybiz Mortgages have joined forces to deliver later life training and development to members.
Directly authorised (DA) members of Simplybiz Mortgages will gain access to Air’s full range of later life lending training offerings – the first time it has delivered the programme as a single joined-up product with an external entity.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is currently consulting on whether consumer access to later life lending is limited by barriers in the advice process.
The two firms said it is against this backdrop that the training will be provided, intending to give advisers the confidence, skills and tools to ensure all suitable later life lending solutions are considered.
The programme has three principles, the first of which is qualification support, where advisers can access Air’s Academy. This includes the Adviser Accreditation for Later Life Lending, a London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF)-accredited programme worth 24 hours of structured CPD.
The lead generation workshop is a webinar to help advisers build referral relationships, spot opportunities and gain commercial success in later life lending.
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Finally, the Air Academy Day One Accelerator Programme is an LIBF-accredited training programme that provides six hours of CPD. Its focus is on the application of later life lending knowledge to real-world advice scenarios.
Through these three pillars, Air’s programme combines technical knowledge with commercial development and practical operation. The two companies also noted that they will continue to be on hand to support advisers and firms as they integrate later life advice into their daily workflow.
Will Hale, CEO of Air, said: “This is a landmark, first-of-its-kind partnership for Air, bringing together our full suite of training, accreditation and business support into a single, joined-up programme.
“We’re delighted that partner is Simplybiz Mortgages, which recognises both the scale of the opportunity in later life lending and the importance of acting now, particularly as the FCA examines whether the market is doing enough to support customers and remove barriers to access.
“Too often, later life lending options are overlooked in favour of more mainstream – but arguably less suitable – solutions. This partnership is about changing that, giving advisers the structure, skills and confidence to raise these conversations earlier and more effectively.”
Martin Reynolds, CEO of Simplybiz Mortgages, commented: “Later life lending is becoming an increasingly important part of the advice landscape, yet it remains underutilised, often because advisers lack the confidence, structure or support to fully engage across all the products sectors within it.
“With the FCA market study placing a clear spotlight on the sector, now is the time for firms to ensure they are equipped to deliver the full range of later life lending options to their customers.
“This partnership with Air reflects our commitment to getting ahead of that shift. By giving our members access to a structured, end-to-end programme, we’re enabling them to deliver better outcomes for customers whilst creating new commercial opportunities.
“Ultimately, this is about helping advisers turn a perceived complex and often overlooked area of the market into a core part of their proposition.”