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University of Reading passes the test to become recognized by the Skills Council – University of Reading

The Financial Services Skills Council (FSSC) announced last week (21/9/06) that the ICMA Centre, part of the University of Reading, is the first Higher Education (HE) institution successfully meet appropriate exam standards. ICMA's International Fixed Income and Derivatives (IFID) Certificate Programme has just met the FSSC's Strand 3 appropriate exam standards for Securities and Derivatives. The ICMA Centre is both the first HE institution to apply for an exam submission and the first institution to meet the FSSC's new Securities and Derivatives exam standards. The qualification, appropriate for those wishing to become stockbrokers, investment bankers or work in financial markets, is available full or part-time or by flexible study through distance learning. On completion of the ICMA IFID Certificate and a UK Financial Regulation exam, candidates will be appropriately qualified to advise and/or deal in securities and/or derivatives. "We are pleased that after a very comprehensive review process the Financial Services Skills Council has determined that our IFID Certificate Programme is now an Appropriate Exam," said Professor John Board, Director of the ICMA Centre, University of Reading. "We realise both the importance of financial markets education in general and ensuring that market participants are properly qualified in their activities. Thus, we fully support the review and approval process of the FSSC, and the ICMA Centre will have further financial markets courses being submitted to the FSSC in the future." "This is an important step towards the greater involvement of higher education institutions in developing qualifications for the financial services industry and we hope many more will follow suit," said FSSC Chief Executive Teresa Sayers. "It's also a terrific opportunity for people studying for degrees to also study for a recognised financial markets qualification." The FSSC Appropriate Exam List is available at:www.fssc.org.uk/cgi-bin/go.pl/exams/index.html -ends- Notes to Editors: About the FSSC: The Financial Services Skills Council (FSSC) is an independent, employer-led organisation, established in 2004 to provide strategic leadership for education, training and skills development for the financial services industry across the UK. It aims to improve productivity and business performance by ensuring that the industry is equipped with the range and level of skills that it needs. The financial services sector is central to the UK economy, generating over 5% of UK GDP and with a turnover of more than £46bn a year. It employs more than a million people in more than 35,000 companies, and affects every single person in the UK. The FSSC sets performance standards for the entire sector, including banking, building societies, insurance companies and brokers, independent financial advisers, investment administration and pensions. Go to the fssc website for more details. About the ICMA Centre: The ICMA Centre ('The Business School for Financial Markets') is part of the University of Reading and was founded in 1991 by a grant from the International Capital Market Association (ICMA). It is largely a graduate school that offers MSc programs in finance in securities and markets, investment management, risk management and regulation and compliance. It also provides the teaching and examination for ICMA's professional education programmes. Visit the ICMA website for more information. About the University of Reading The University of Reading is one of the foremost research-led universities in the UK. Founded in the nineteenth century and gaining a Royal Charter in 1926, we offer a wide range of programmes from the pure and applied sciences to languages, social sciences and fine art. New research and the latest thinking continually feed into undergraduate teaching, with our academic staff working at the forefront of their fields of expertise. For further information visit visit the University of Reading website . Further information For further information contact Lucy Ferguson, Senior Press Officer, on 0118 378 7388, or email L.Ferguson@reading.ac.uk