Students taking Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) qualifications from schools and colleges across Merseyside & Chester gathered in the iconic Port of Liverpool Building on the Liverpool waterfront last week to take part in a Career in Investment Management Insight Conference.

The two- day conference, which included opportunities to learn more about the industry, meet practitioners and develop in-demand employability skills, was the culmination of a work experience week for 27 students, some of whom had spent the previous three days following a comprehensive work experience programme in Liverpool investment firms Blankstone Sington, Investec Wealth & Investment and Tilney Bestinvest.

Hosted by Rathbone Investment Management, and organised by the CISI and the Liverpool, Chester & North Wales CISI committee, the conference included a “Liver Bird’s Den” session, (as opposed to Dragon’s Den!) where local leading practitioners and VIPs - “Liver Birds” - judged the student’s investment pitches.

Our esteemed Liver Birds were Senior Investment Directors David Owen and Simon Fontes from Investec Wealth & Investment; Craig Clifford, Director, Client Service Delivery at Pershing; Liverpool City Councillor Jane Corbett and Becky Hellard, Liverpool City Council’s Director of Finance and Resources.

Further representatives from local firms were involved in the conference, alongside those offering students work experience – staff from Pershing Limited, Rathbone Investment Management, SL Investment Limited, Pavis Financial Management Limited and Marshall Moore - Financial Services recruitment company- got involved. Activities included Pershing/ BNY Mellon’s very popular Fundopoly investment game and a fast and furious speed networking session with practitioners.

John Haynes, Director of Liverpool’s International Coaching Academy and a personal success expert, gave the students an exciting interactive workshop on increasing their performance, motivation and self-belief. Brian Sloan, the Bank of England Deputy Agent for the North West presented the responsibilities of the Bank, an overview of the current economic climate and a fascinating insight into the impact of Brexit.

Students attending the conference from Archbishop Beck Catholic Sports College, King David High School and St John Bosco Arts College, take their CISI qualifications through Liverpool City Council’s Liverpool Learning Partnership CISI - sponsored programme, delivered through Archbishop Beck Catholic Sports College.

Students also attended from West Derby School, St Anselm’s College and Studio@Deyes, who will be offering CISI qualifications to their students from September. Other students interested in finding out more about a career in the industry came from Carmel College and Helsby High School.

The work experience week and conference culminated in a fantastic opportunity to meet with Gillian Tett, US Managing Editor of the Financial Times, journalist & author. Arranged by Liverpool City Councillor Jane Corbett and Liverpool, Chester & North Wales CISI Committee, the event took place at Tilney’s offices in The Royal Liver Building.

Students joined the City’s practitioners to hear Gillian provide an insightful and thought- provoking presentation on the current state of play in the economy and answer some tricky questions from both students and practitioners, as well as awarding prizes to outstanding students from the course of the week.

James Charlton, Tilney Fund Manager and President of the CISI Liverpool, Chester & North Wales Committee, said: “As a committee we work tirelessly to create opportunities for students but I have to thank our members, and the member firms for the overwhelming support they have given us, to make our second annual Investment Management Insight week a resounding success.

“It never ceases to amaze me how passionate our members are about education and the development of others. Over the course of the last academic year, we have credited our members with over 300 hours of CPD, through activities such as classroom support and 1 to 1 mentoring, and without them, the region’s education programme would not be so fruitful.

“It’s widely recognised that if you’re seeking a career in Wealth Management, outside of London, Liverpool is the place to be and we are committed to educating, developing and retaining the next generation of talented investment professionals in our city, and it’s fantastic to get Gillian’s backing as of one of the world’s most respected financial authors and journalists.”

Student quotes

On Work experience

Student- Charlotte- King David High School- Following work experience, I have a better understanding of the industry and am more interested in a career in the financial world

Student- Katie- Archbishop Beck Catholic Sports College – Work experience has motivated me even more to go into finance and I can actually see what I could be doing in the future

On the Careers Conference

Student- Joseph- Carmel College- The conference helped me decide my future and informed me on the steps I can take to get there

Student- Ryan- Kind David High School The conference has given me a great insight into what I would like to do in the future

Student- Will- St Anselm’s College The conference has inspired me to become an investment banker

Student- Alexander- St Anselm’s College A fantastic and unique experience that has expanded my knowledge of the industry and peaked my interest

Ends

 

For further information on the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment contact Lora Benson +44 20 7645 0662/ +44 7801 521034 or lora.benson@cisi.org

Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment  

The CISI’s mission is to help members attain, maintain and develop their knowledge and skills and to promote the highest standards of ethics and integrity in the securities and investment industry.

 

Based in the City of London, the CISI is a global organisation with representative offices in financial centres such as Dublin, Singapore, Hong Kong, Manila, Dubai, Mumbai and Colombo.  We work in close cooperation with regulators, firms and other professional bodies worldwide and over 40,000 examinations were sat in 80 countries in the last twelve months. 

With 40,000 members in 116 countries the CISI is the professional body which sets examinations and offers qualifications for those working, or looking to establish a career in the securities, investment, wealth and financial planning professions

We are looking for financial services firms of all shapes and sizes to partner with us to offer work experience opportunities to Year 12 & 13 students studying CISI qualifications at schools and colleges. Our aim is to connect motivated students with employers to support their learning experience and to promote financial services as an achievable career choice.

Find out more

The CISI Manchester branches AGM will take place on the 19^th July 2016 straight after the CPD event, the venue is as follows:

Manchester Art Gallery,
Mosley Street,
Manchester,
M2 3JL

Peter McGovern, member of the Professional Golfers’ Association and head professional at The Belfry, was on his ‘A’ game at the CISI’s recent Birmingham & West Midlands branch annual dinner, which raised £1000.00 for St Basils.

After dinner speaker and golfer Peter McGovern kept 95 guests entertained with golfing anecdotes at the event, held at the Symphony Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency in Birmingham.

For the full article and video please click here  

During the week of 4-8 July, Liverpool firms will once again open their doors to the future stars of Liverpool’s financial services sector, for the second annual work-experience and Investment Management insight week. Firms will welcome the 16-18-year-old students from schools across the city for a three day work placement followed by a two day conference at the prestigious Rathbone Hall in the Port of Liverpool Building, giving the students the opportunity to develop their practical skill set through interactive sessions such as; CV Writing, Speed Networking, Personal Development, Ethics and Integrity and the week will conclude with in the ‘Liver Bird’s Den’ - based on TV’s Dragons’ Den, students will have the opportunity to pitch their investment ideas to a panel of experts!

 

The aim of the week-long programme is to provide an insight into working in financial services and to encourage the next generation of finance professionals.

 

Last year was a roaring success, and below are links to some of the positive news coverage it received;

 

http://citywire.co.uk/wealth-manager/news/liver-birds-land-at-cisi-liverpool-event-to-support-industry-s-next-generation/a828637

 

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/business/liverpool-programme-encourages-future-financial-9706879

 

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/business/financial-firms-nurture-liverpool-stars-9580515

 

http://www.cisi.org/cisiweb2/cisi-news/s-i-review-article/60-second-interview-james-charlton-chartered-mcsi

 

 

We’re hoping that this year will be even bigger and better so please click back next month for an update.

No! I am not referring to the England football team in the Euro 2016 competition, but of course to the important EU referendum results. It is good to see that the situation is now finalised and will allow us to all move forward, although around half of those voting will be disappointed. I hope that our politicians are up to the task of healing any rifts and uniting the country.

Our CISI Southern branch enjoyed a lively pre-referendum debate in central Guildford on the afternoon of the 16^th June and the feedback from attendees was good. We send our thanks to Jerome Lussan, from Leven Partners who stepped in at short notice as one of our speakers. The post event feedback form also asked about the timing and location of the event, which the majority approved of. However, the CISI Southern Committee welcomes your feedback or suggestions on your preferences for the forthcoming calendar which is being prepared for the balance of 2016 and beginning of 2017.

With the successful merger of IFP with CISI now fully complete, we look forward to the members working together to enhance our networks, CPD opportunities, learning and profile over the coming year and any feedback or suggestions for speakers or subject financial topics is most welcome. Our door is open to growing the CISI Southern region. I would also like to congratulate Kate Nathoo, Client Director, from Thesis Asset Management as the new President of the CISI Southern region and to extend my warm thanks to James Stewart-Smith from Charles Stanley for his wise stewardship of the President’s post over the last few years.  

Do let us know what you wish to achieve from the CISI in our region. This can be as diverse as education support for you and your team, CPD facilities, social/networking events with fellow financial professionals, technical seminars…an endless list of possibilities! Just let us know and we will endeavour to add where we can.

The Committee looks forward to working with you over the balance of 2016 and beyond.

Keith Churchouse CFP Chartered CISI

Vice-President, CISI Southern Committee

View the press release

Guests at the CISI's Liverpool, Chester & North Wales branch annual dinner, held at the Titanic Hotel, Liverpool, contributed £2,842.50 towards the Alder Hey Children’s Charity

View the photos

Reverend Richard Coles, a musician, journalist and Church of England Priest, was guest speaker at the dinner, which raised £1,046.50 for Parkinson’s UK

View the photos

The CISI’s Jersey branch raised £3,793 for the Stroke Association and The Antoine Trust at its annual dinner

View the photos

The dinner at the Beau Sejour Leisure Centre attracted 260 attendees from across the wealth management industry, who were entertained by guest speaker Miles Jupp, best known for his role as Archie in the TV show Balamory

View the photos

The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) is delighted to award its first ever ‘Partner University’ designation in Cyprus to the European University of Cyprus (‘EUC’).

The achievement means that the EUC will offer the CISI’s ‘Investment Management’ and ‘Risk in Financial Services’ exams from September 2016.

This exam will be taught as part of the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Finance and Investments programme at the EUC.

The agreement states that the CISI is also offering free membership to students for the duration of the relevant programme. In addition those enrolling on the programme will be given the opportunity to be entered for the CISI online Integrity Test free of charge.

For further information please contact Dr. Simona Mihai-Yiannaki at the European University S.Mihai@euc.ac.cy.

The CISI offers testing at the Cyprus International Institute of Management Business School.



For more information, please contact:

Susan Steward
Operations Manager
c-sit@cisi.org

Training for the CISI's CISI qualifications are currently available via self-study using CISI workbooks and e-learning.

Computer based and narrative exam testing is available at the Bleak House Training Institute.

CISI qualifications are currently available via self-study using CISI workbooks and e-learning.

Computer based exam testing is available at Prometric Test Centre, Route de Meyrin 49, 1203 Genève, Switzerland.