Alumni Services
Jeremy Williams
Financial Capability
Relationship ManagerM
The ifs School of Finance
A Leading Provider of Financial Education since 1879
• 1879 – The Institute of Bankers is founded
• 1987 – The organisation gains a Royal Charter
• 1997 – Became the Institute of Financial Services
• 2006 – The organisation changes name to ifs School of
Finance
• 2010 - Acquisition of Taught Degree-Awarding Powers
ifs in numbers
• Over 130,000 students have studied an ifs financial
capability qualification since 2006.
• 26,309 students were registered to study an ifs
qualification in 2011/12 in England and Wales.
• 446 centres registered students with ifs in England and
Wales in 2011/12.
• Over 90 centres and1200 students were registered with
SQA in 2011/12.
• 1,118 students gained SQA certification at Level 4 from
112 centres in 2010/11.
Why Qualifications?
The qualifications route
• “Students valued accredited courses, such as those
provided by the ifs School of Finance.…. which had the
benefit of leading to nationally recognised qualifications.
They were well supported by course materials and
included continuous assessment of progress. The ifs
School of Finance courses provided a coherent and
progressive curriculum
(Ofsted – Developing financially capable young people.
March 2008, Ref: 070029)
Why Qualifications?
Becoming Financially Capable
(The University of Manchester Report 2008)
• “This impact resulted in an increase in knowledge and
awareness, an improvement in financial behaviour….
Helping them move towards greater independence”
• “Our research shows that personal financial
management increased during the period of study …”
• Young people need to and want to be better financial
consumers to enable them to make the important
financial decisions they will have to take in their
financial futures
The student’s view
‘When you go into a
bank now and look
at their products,
you know what they
are talking about
and you know what
APR means
properly – all the
terms and
conditions.
Salima
The ifs Approach
• Comprehensive financial capability package
to deliver an essential life skill
• Students and tutors have web access and
extensive student/teacher materials
• Assessment on demand with speedy results
• Dedicated telephone support and
teacher/tutor training
• An opportunity to demonstrate student’s
mathematical skills
Partnership with SQA
The Personal Finance Award at SCQF
Level 4 is jointly awarded by the SQA and
the ifs School of Finance. It contributes to
delivery of the four Curriculum for Excellence
capacities.
It equips candidates with the skills to
understand and manage money throughout
their lives.
Personal Finance Award
The Personal Finance Award code is GA1Y 44
The Units are:
The Principles of Money - SCQF Level 4 (Unit code FC64 04)
Money Management - SCQF Level 4 (Unit code FC63 04)
Includes:
• Access to end of Unit assessments on SQA SOLAR.
• Access to learning and teaching materials via SQA’s secure
website.
• Advice about delivering the course – this can be provided by
SQA or by contacting the ifs School of Finance directly.
Financial Capability
Progression Routes
19
14
• Level 5: Adult Programme
• BSc (Hons) in Banking Practice and
Management
• Level 7: Diploma in Financial Studies
• Level 6: Certificate in Financial Studies
• Level 5: Certificate in Personal Finance
• Level 4: Personal Finance Award
Level 4 Award
Unit 1
The Principles of
Money (POM)
Level 5 Certificate
Unit 1
Personal Financial
Encounters (PFE)
Topics 1 to 5
Topics 1 to 8
Unit 2
Money
Management (MOM)
Unit 2
Money Management
Solutions (MMS)
Topics 1 to 4
Topics 1 to 8
The above are
assessed through
the SQA SOLAR
system
Unit 3
Personal Financial
Management (PFMA)
Topics 1 to 4
CPF5
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o
o
3 units
125 guided learning hours (140 Learning hours)
Registration is £36 per student
Resit fee £12 (max 2 resits per exam)
On-demand objective tests for all units
Grade A* to C
Scottish Equivalents
My ifs learning website
https://my.ifslearning.ac.uk
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How do I access the website?
How is it structured?
What materials do I get?
How do teachers deliver the courses?
How do I get further information?
The centre is given a login
name and password to access
the learning materials.
Structure of topic sheets
Tutorial with Qs and As
Review questions
Case studies
Suggested learning activities
Key points
Student Investor Challenge
• Online investment game for students aged
14-19
• Teams are given a fantasy £100,000 to
invest in the stock market
• Top prize is an educational trip to New
York, £200 for each team member and
£2,000 for their school
• www.studentinvestor.org
Summary
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Specialist Financial Education Provider
Key Life Skill in Modern Society
Working in Partnerships across UK
Accredited Qualifications and Routes
Excellent Resources and Customer
Service.
www.financialcapability.co.uk