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The FBAA has launched a free membership program for students as part of an effort to attract more young people into the broking industry.
FBAA CEO, Peter White, says the new ‘Student Member’ category is an important part of the organisation’s wider career path initiative, which also includes the establishment of an industry-based apprenticeship program.
In June, the FBAA announced a strategic alliance with student organisation ‘Student Edge’, which will connect with over 600,000 students across the nation.
White said at the time that there was too much talk about the problem of attracting younger brokers from people and organisations that were doing nothing concrete to fix the problem.
“Throughout this time the FBAA has been quietly negotiating with both sides of politics, talking to student groups and doing everything possible to develop a path that will help young people choose this industry as a career choice,” he says.
“Too often, related fields in banking and accounting are considered good career options for students, while finance broking is overlooked.”
White says the new student membership will allow younger people to experience the industry, learn more and eventually become full time participants.
The membership is available to full and part-time students and, while it does not provide voting rights, members will have access to training courses and workshops, networking opportunities with future employers, industry news and guidance. There are, however, strict entry requirements to help ensure that only genuine students are eligible - applicants must be under the age of 21, for instance and can't be earning an income.
“In itself, student membership is only part of the solution, but I believe it is still a significant moment for the industry. We’ve been talking about the problems – now let’s promote our industry and look to the future. I encourage all of our members to widely promote this new membership category.”
