Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology opened the its new Markham, Ontario campus facilities this morning, home to the newly created Financial Services Practitioner program, in a ceremony recognizing the Town of Markham’s $500,000 donation.

“For me this was great because this building is really conducive to business,” said Sam Albanese, the insurance industry veteran who designed the program. “It’s a business building the students come in and they feel they’re already in the business. We insist that they all come in business attire so they’re starting to look and feel the part. This building is really conducive to that as well.”

The Markham campus facility is housed in the former Allstate office building, following 18 months of extensive renovations to the 10-storey building to accommodate computer laboratories, classroom facilities, a library and the new Corporate Training Centre.

“Our goal is that this campus becomes a resource for business research, corporate training and post-secondary education for industries and people living in the town of Markham,” says Seneca president, Dr. Rick Miner.

In the financial services industry, the new practitioner program being housed and run by the college is a welcome development for firms struggling with the task of proper training and the vacuum of resources and experience left behind in this area when career shops and manufacturers pulled out of the business of systematically recruiting new agents.

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The 28-week program, launched in August, includes one semester of hard skills training in products, sales strategies and concepts, software training and office budgeting, as well as education in softer skills such as understanding sales cycles. The insurance semester includes coursework to study for and write the Life License Qualification Program test, and two days a week for seven weeks in a co-op placement with an MGA.

The second semester trains students on the mutual fund side of the business to complete the Canadian Securities Course. Topics covered include product background, tax planning, estate planning, financial disciplines, client portfolio strategies and interviewing techniques. Students exit the program with both licences and a laptop loaded with all the latest product information and company software provided by the insurance companies.

Click here to read more about the program.

Filed by Kate McCaffery, Advisor.ca, kate.mccaffery@advisor.rogers.com

(11/22/06)