Air Club has announced that Air Academy is now free to access for all members, removing cost barriers to adviser education and reinforcing its commitment to raising standards across the sector.
With more than 70 pieces of learning content, Air Academy gives advisers the tools to sharpen their knowledge, build confidence and keep pace with an ever-evolving later life lending market. From on-demand masterclasses, podcasts and technical training to marketing support, specialist programmes, live webinars, events and summit content, the Academy is designed to support adviser development at every stage.
At the heart of the Academy is Air’s status as a trusted partner of London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF), recognising its standards of education, learner support and industry expertise. That partnership underpins Air’s Adviser Accreditation for Later Life Lending, a 10-module, LIBF-accredited programme offering 24 hours of structured CPD.
Covering the later life lending process, product types, vulnerability, affordability and soft skills, the accreditation is designed to help shape a more confident generation of advisers, equipping them to have better client conversations, widen their expertise and keep good outcomes front and centre.
Furthermore, upon completion of the learning, members gain “Professional Status”, receiving a digital badge which provides a way to stand apart in a specialist market. This is also now free to all Air members, and can be a valuable tool for advisers in generating referrals and giving customers confidence that they are working with an expert.
Adding value to advisers
A staple of the later life lending landscape for several years, the Academy has proven its worth as a tool for advisers across the experience spectrum, from new entrants to experienced operators seeking to refresh their knowledge and skills. By removing any form of cost barrier, Air hopes to deliver the Academy’s learning to increasing numbers of advisers, improving both the quality of advice and ultimately consumer confidence.
Speaking of his experience, Cornerstone Finance Group’s Wayne Donovan said: “I’ve done the training programme twice and to be honest, I felt I learned more on that than I did actually learning the exam. In terms of doing the job, I found the academy was more helpful.”
A timely enhancement
The move comes amid a wider backdrop where the place of later life lending in retirement planning is very much in focus, with the FCA’s Emad Aladhal simultaneously positioning the sector as the fourth pillar of retirement while highlighting the work to be done to reach its full potential and the importance of considering it across all advice streams.
Air hopes that by making the Academy free, barriers to new entrants to the later life market will further be eroded, helping to achieve the cross-product holistic advice model that modern over-55 borrowers need in order to make informed decisions around how to achieve their financial goals in later life.
Speaking of the latest developments, Air CEO Will Hale says: “Later life lending is moving from niche to norm with the FCA recognising that ‘housing wealth’ needs to be the ‘fourth pillar’ of retirement planning.
“However, awareness of later life lending options remains poor among mainstream mortgage advisers and wealth managers/IFAs with distribution silos resulting in the failure for all products being considered for many older customers. Confidence to have comprehensive conversations with customers around their housing wealth and how it can support their wants and needs in later life starts with knowledge, and by making the Air Academy free to access we hope that we’re removing one barrier that may stop some advisers engaging properly with this important sector.
“Air is committed to supporting safe growth in the later life lending market and making the Academy free to access is a clear indication of our determination to break down distribution silos and to continue to help advisers raise the bar on customer outcomes.”
LIBF’s John Somerville adds: “Making Air Academy free to access is a strong step forward for adviser development and the wider later life lending sector. As a trusted partner of LIBF, Air has shown a clear commitment to raising standards through high-quality learning , and removing the cost barrier gives existing members greater opportunity to build and evidence their expertise, while helping more advisers develop the confidence to engage with this growing market. Such initiatives are crucial for the ongoing growth of the sector, and it’s great to see Air leading the charge when it comes to enhancing adviser knowledge, and by extension improving consumer outcomes.”
