New Zealand Certificate in Financial Services (Level 5) (Investment) [Version 2]

NZ231501 New Zealand Certificate in Financial Services (Level 5) (Investment) is the qualification you need to meet the legal requirements for giving financial (investment) advice in New Zealand.

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Availability

Our distance learning courses are offered throughout the year to help you fit study around your work and life commitments.
Courses are offered up to 12 times per year depending on demand and availability of academic staff.
Exact start dates are in the course information pages and in our Enrolment dates page:

Enrolment dates

Cost

• Course costscan be found on all course pages.  The fees may increase annually.
• Qualification cost – to give you an idea of how much a qualification may cost in total over the duration of your studies, an approximate cost is provided for many of our qualifications. This is based on the required number of courses to complete the qualification and the average cost of those courses. It does not include annual administration fees, text books and course materials or external exam fees, and is subject to annual course fee increases.

Credits

Courses are assigned credits depending on how much time and effort is needed to complete their learning outcomes. In general, each credit represents approximately 10 hours of study time.

Delivery method

• Online – The course materials for online courses are delivered in an online format and all assignments are submitted online.
• Mixed – These courses are delivered using a mix of online and paper based course materials. This may include receiving paper course materials, submitting  assignments online, or being required to participate in online forums and learning activities.
• Print Only - The course will be delivered using paper based courses materials, and assignments may need to be submitted in hard copy rather than online. This will depend on the course.

Whether courses are delivered online, on paper or a mixture of both, there may also be components such as workshops, noho marae, work experience and practicum to participate in. To find out what your course involves check the course information page.

EFTS

EFTS stands for equivalent full-time student. An EFTS is the study time required for each course and is used by the Tertiary Education Commission to decide if a course is part-time or full-time. 

One year of full-time study is generally between 0.8 and 1.2 EFTS.

Level

You can tell how hard a course or qualification is by the level it is set at:

• Levels 1-4 are about the same as secondary school and basic trades training.
• Levels 5-7 are the same as university study.

Prerequisites

• Prerequisites are courses that must be completed before another course can be studied.
• Co-requisites are courses that can be studied at the same time as another course.

If a course has a specific prerequisite or co-requisite course, it will be listed on the course page under the title 'Prerequisites'. If no courses are listed, check the entry and other requirements under the qualification you are studying for. Some courses require you to have studied at a particular level prior to enrolling.

Student loans

Not all qualifications or students are eligible for student loans. You will need to meet criteria such as studying a minimum number of credits over a specific study period. It is up to you to apply for a student loan via StudyLink - Open Polytechnic does not do this for you.

Information about student loans and eligibility

StudyLink website

Teaching weeks

Teaching weeks is the number of weeks that we teach a course. This differs from the enrolment period, which is based on the course start and end dates.

For example, a 20-week enrolment period will have 16 teaching weeks, followed by four weeks to accommodate marking, any extensions and reassessments, or exams.

Workload

The workload estimate given on a course page is calculated like this:

Number of credits x 10, divided by the number of teaching weeks for the course. The hours will be rounded up to nearest whole number.

Please note, this is a guide only. You may need more or less time for study, and you may also need to do more hours during assessment due dates or exams times.

• Level

5

• Credits

65

• Cost $2,072 NZ Domestic Not including any course materials or external exam fees.
• Student loan This programme can only be studied part-time.  It is not eligible for course-related costs, living costs or student allowances from StudyLink.

Important programme information

NZ231501 New Zealand Certificate in Financial Services (Level 5) (Investment) is the current version of this certificate. It will give you the competence, knowledge and skills you need to give regulated financial advice  in New Zealand.

Courses  run for 16 teaching weeks.

Learn more about the new financial advice regime

 

About this qualification

This programme is suitable for people working in or who wish to work in the financial services industry. It is of particular relevance to those seeking to provide individualised financial advice to meet clients’ personal needs.

Legal and competency requirements for giving financial advice - Ministry of Business Innovation & Employment website

What you will learn

When you complete this certificate, you will be able to demonstrate the knowledge and application of:

• good conduct obligations, including the advice process and the key elements of legal, ethical, and professional obligations
• key financial institutions, systems, markets, and products/services
• key factors in the economic environment that impact participants in the financial services sector.

You will also be able to:

• provide investment services using knowledge of investment concepts, legislation, regulations, codes of conduct; and the purpose, responsibilities and roles of participants.
• establish, analyse, and review a range of personal investment needs, objectives, risk tolerance, and priorities.
• analyse investment products, structures, options, benefits, risks, and limitations when developing solutions to a range of personal investment needs.
• develop solutions to personal investment needs using knowledge of the relationship between the economic environment and events, investor perceptions, and investment products.
• apply the Six Step Advice Process to provide advice in an investment context.

Student Loan eligibility

You may be eligible to apply for a student loan for this programme, but you need to structure your application for FSC521 and FSC522 to start at least two months apart. Upon successful completion of FSC521, submit your application for enrolment in the specialist course in your chosen strand.

Student loan eligibility

Career opportunities

When you complete this qualification you will be qualified to work in a range of roles:

• Investment adviser,
• paraplanner,
• investment adviser support,
• business development manager

Academic pathways

When you finish this qualification you could progress onto higher level qualifications in financial services, or other business and management including:

Bachelor of Applied Management

Bachelor of Business

Maximum Programme Completion Time

To be awarded the qualification, the programme must be completed in no more than 3 years of first enrolment, unless there are exceptional circumstances.