Training and Competence Policy
Introduction
Money Advice Direct has on-going systems and procedures in place to ensure that all our employees have received appropriate training so they are competent for their role within at the organisation.
Money Advice Direct take reasonable care to organise and control our affairs responsibly and effectively. This includes making proper arrangements for our staff to achieve, maintain and enhance competence.
The Training and Competence Commitments
Money Advice Direct commitment to training and competence are that:
- Our employees are competent;
- Our employees remain competent for the work they do;
- Our employees are appropriately supervised;
- Our employees competence is regularly reviewed; and
- The level of competence is appropriate to the nature of our business.
Maintaining Competence
Money Advice Direct has systems and procedures in place to review and monitor as follows:-
- Technical knowledge, and application of that knowledge
- Skills- Staff application and development; and
- Knowledge of the market and to products, legislation and regulation.
Record Keeping
Money Advice Direct produces and retain records of
- How we assess continuing competence; and
- How staff members continue to be competent
Money Advice Direct will record all the monitoring, reviews, training and development in the personal training and competence manual. If staff should leave the organisation we will retain the training and competence manual for at least three years as a record of our commitment to our regulators for training and competence.
If staff are new to the industry then they will have had a period of in house training, and work shadowing to familiarise themselves with the way the organisation works.
All staff are required to complete the training & competence record. Staff will need to record any training which is undertaken, whether internal training, external training, industry conferences and product knowledge training to prove they have a continuous and on going commitment to training and competence.
Openness
Money Advice Direct system is completely open. This means that staff are entitled to see everything that is written about them. Gathering information for the training and competence manual and subsequent assessments is a responsibility which is shared between staff and department heads. Staff will be given an opportunity to contribute to the process before appraisals are written. In the same way, personal development is a responsibility which is shared between staff and department heads.
Fairness
This is a vital part of the process. Observations and assessments of staff competence will be objectively assessed on the basis of the work staff do. Money Advice Direct is committed to being an equal opportunity employer and will not tolerate any employee receiving less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, disability, religion, marital status or any other criteria which cannot be justified.
IVA's
The IVA Guide
Money Advice Direct has put together an IVA Guide based on the enquiries and questions that we receive at our helpline offices.
In the guide we cover such subjects as IVA Approval, early settlment of your IVA, missed IVA payments, IVA failure, additional debt claims and much more.
[click here for IVA Guide]
What is an IVA?
The IVA is an extremely powerful tool enabling you to clear your debt and return to a clean financial bill of health. Visit Money Advice Direct's Guide to Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs).
[more...]
DANGER
Due to the tremendous demand for debt consolidation services the United Kingdom is now overloaded with debt management companies that contain misleading information. [more...]