IFS University College

IFS University college

Type	Private university
Established	1879 as the Institute of Bankers (2013 as University College)
Location	London, United Kingdom Coordinates: 51°51′02″N 0°08′40″W / 51.85056°N 0.14444°W / 51.85056; -0.14444
Campus	Urban
Website	IFS University College

The IFS University College (styled ifs University College), is a registered educational charity incorporated by Royal Charter. Positioning itself as a 'business school for finance' the university for financial education, IFS University College aims to provide the financial services industry with a financially skilled, effective and competent workforce.

The IFS works closely with the financial services industry to provide learning for financial services providers. The educational provision includes formal qualifications ranging from financial capability for the 14–19 age group to Masters level, and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) through to executive education programmes, such as masterclasses, seminars and lectures.

Qualifications

The IFS University College provides off campus Financial Capability qualifications at level 1 to 3 of the Qualifications and Credit Framework targeted at ages 14 to 19, taught by Schools and Colleges around the UK. The University College's degree courses are full-time and part-time taught at the Lovat Lane campus.

History

1879 - Founded as the Institute of Bankers.

1987 - Gains a Royal Charter.

1993 - Merges with the Chartered Building Societies Institute.

1996 - The BSc (Hons) in Financial Services is offered as a dual award with the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. It is the first professional award to be linked to a university degree.

1997 - A new brand the Institute of Financial Services (IFS) is introduced to reflect the evolving nature of banking and insurance activities to the wider financial services sector. In the same year the Certificate in Mortgage Advice and Practice (CeMAP) is introduced – this is the first qualification for UK mortgage professionals.

2001 - The IFS is the first educational body in the sector to provide electronic assessment for its regulatory qualifications, which now include the Certificate for Financial Advisers and the Certificate of Regulated General Insurance. Also this year, the first of the personal finance qualifications for young people in the UK is launched. The qualification, equivalent to an AS-level, is the first of its kind.

2004 - Launch of IFS KnowledgeBank, an online library and information resource.

2005 - The IFS acquires ProShare (UK) Ltd. IFS Proshare (UK) is a not-for-profit organisation committed to encouraging employee share ownership and providing workplace financial education.

2006 - Members agree proposals for changes to the organisation’s corporate governance and structure. Changes to the Royal Charter are approved by the Privy Council and the organisation is renamed the IFS School of Finance.

2010 - Granted Taught Degree-Awarding Powers (TDAP) by the Privy Council, the IFS is now able to award both undergraduate and taught postgraduate degrees in its own right without ratification from a third-party university.

2013 - The IFS School of Finance was granted University College title by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and became IFS University College.

Membership

The IFS University College has been offering membership since 1879. The membership scheme is now part of the Institute of Services, to reflect the professional stature of studying alumni. By becoming a member, benefits include access to:

• IFS KnowledgeBank - an online library and information resource.

• Financial World - An academic and membership publication providing reports, news and features on the financial services industry (published 6 times a year with circulation in 2013 of approx 18,000).

• Continuing Professional Development (CPD) - IFS members have access to myCPD, an online CPD program. This provides a framework for professional and personal development, designed to suit members' individual situations.

• Regional Networks - members have access to 19 Regional Networks in the UK and internationally. These networks run programmes that include lectures, seminars and industrial visits to support members’ ongoing personal development and networking needs.

My Financial Career

My Financial Career is a free guide created by IFS University College to assist students considering a career in financial services.

My Financial Career assists students in understanding the financial services sector and the organisations that operate within the different career paths available within the financial services industry and how to choose the right qualifications and gain the right skill set. The guide also includes current opportunities and jobs, recommendations on how to write a successful CV and case studies on financial services professionals.

IFS Student Investor Challenge

The IFS Student Investor Challenge is the UK's premier investment competition for 14- to 19-year-olds, with over 250.000 students registering to play in the past 8 years. It gives teams of four students the opportunity to experience trading on the stock market, with £100,000 of virtual money, and the chance to win a range of prizes including an all-expenses-paid educational trip to New York. Teams maintain a portfolio of their chosen shares and use information provided online to forecast trends, identify attractive shares and judge when to buy and sell to make a profit. Share prices are provided by Bloomberg, making it the most realistic share trading competition available.

The IFS Student Investor Challenge is free of charge and available to all schools and colleges. Students don't need any previous share-trading knowledge as the challenge is designed to cater for all levels of experience and understanding.

Regional Networks

The IFS University College has 19 Regional Networks – 10 in the UK and 11 in international and offshore locations.^[1] Their aim is to help a diverse alumni community of over 30,000 finance professionals keep in touch through lifelong learning. The networks are run by groups of volunteers working in the financial services industry.^[2]

Events

IFS University college Peninsular House

IFS University College runs events to support personal development, facilitate networking needs and celebrate excellence within financial services industry, usually located on the 7th and 8th floors of Peninsular House.

Events include: Financial Innovation Awards - An annual award ceremony that recognises and celebrates excellence in innovation within the financial services sector.

Graduation and Presentation ceremony an auspicious annual occasion held at London's Guildhall, that recognises and celebrates the success of IFS University College students in their higher education studies in finance.

Professional Networking events - Lecturers and seminars that aim to help the alumni community keep in touch and network while fulfilling IFS University College's belief in lifelong learning.

Professional Networks provide a forum for alumni and professionals working in, or with a particular interest in, a specific sector to share ideas, challenges and experience with one another. Types of Professional Network events include:

Prestige Lectures - an opportunity for alumni to hear direct from high-profile industry leaders and leading commentators. Past speakers have included Justin Urquhart Stewart, Director and co-founder of Seven Investment Management; Angela Knight CBE, Chief Executive, Energy UK; Peter Keenan, Head of Customer Propositions, HSBC; George Magnus, Senior Economic Advisor, UBS Investment Bank; and David Roberts, Deputy Chairman of Lloyds Banking Group.

High Flyers - This popular series focuses on new entrants into the industry and is aimed at supporting career progression. Recent subjects have included ‘Making the most of your brand: YOU’ presented by Jennifer Holloway, author of Personal Branding for Brits and Founder of Spark; and ‘Social Enterprise - how we can all change the world’ presented by Melody Hossaini, semi finalist on series 7 of The Apprentice.

Careers and development seminars - covering a wide range of personal development subjects. Recent topics have included: Presentation skills, Supporting growing businesses…a new approach, Negotiation skills, Getting the most out of LinkedIn, and Regulatory changes in the consumer credit arena.

Academic Community

As part of its Academic Community Development Programme, the IFS has institutional recognition to provide Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA) recognised awards.

References

External links

• IFS University College
• Institute of Financial Services
• IFS Student Investor Challenge
• My Financial Career
• Financial World