Q3 update and Q4 preview

 

Senior managers & certification regime (SM&CR)

One of the main focuses this quarter has been updating our Senior Management and Certification Regime suite of courses, ready for 9 December 2019. Previously the content of this suite only related to banks and insurers, but after this update, it will apply to all firms regulated by the FCA. So we’ve re-worked the following courses in the suite to cater to this: Regulatory Framework, Senior Managers Regime, Certification Regime, Conduct Rules.

With this last course, Conduct Rules, now applying to nearly everyone in financial services, we’ve invested heavily in creating individual case studies for nearly every job role in financial services! 

UNI_026: Introduction to the FCA

• Update to reference to regulatory bodies such as the FCA and removal of Single Financial Guidance Body (replaced with Money & Pensions Service). Amendment to course activity headings and content within:
  • The FCA objectives and the regulatory regime
  • FCA supervision in practice
• General text improvements throughout the course
• Removal of outdated examples and redundant content plus changes to bring the context up-to-date
• Introduction to the concept of ‘FCA specified activities
• Corrections of the terminology used within the course e.g. PRA handbook amended to PRA rulebook
• Improvements to the knowledge check questions throughout the course
• Updates to the regulatory framework and the Senior Manager and Certification Regime
• Inclusion of conduct rules and how they apply

UNI_067: Regulatory Framework

• Enhancement of content regarding the accountability framework (specifically the ‘Certification Regime’ and ‘Conduct Rules’ elements of the framework) and the inclusion of all regulated firms later this year.
• Enhancement of the context and meaning of the importance of a firm’s culture in the success of the Regulatory Framework
• Additional content on who the framework affects in regulated firms
• Improvements to the flow and context of the case studies in Activity 4 - Regulatory Framework scenarios
• Clear specification of who Conduct Rules apply to
• Creation of a useful ‘key facts’ document

UNI_068: Senior Managers Regime

• Improved technical information on non-executive director’s tests for fitness and propriety
• Additional content regarding solo-regulated firms and how the regime applies
• Changes to prescribed responsibilities including the number of responsibilities for all firms and responsibilities based on business type
• Improved content regarding the responsibilities map and associated documents for different types of firms
• Addition of a useful ‘summary of key points’

UNI_066: Certification Regime

This course has undergone some content re-structure to improve flow, context, and content regarding upcoming changes to SM&CR for changing obligations in ‘limited scope’ businesses and specified certification functions.

UNI_069: Conduct Rules

Previously this content only related to banks and insurers, but from 9 December 2019 it will apply to all firms regulated by the FCA, so we’ve made this clear in the content. We’ve also added new case studies to show the application of the conduct rules to the various additional job roles subject to them.

Other courses updated in Q3

UNI_005: Complaints Handling and Regulated Firms

• Enhancement to complaints definition
• Improvements in content word count and flow
• Additional examples added to give context to topics such as PSD2 and non-PSD2 complaints and their timeframes
• Additional content regarding reporting and record-keeping
• Additions also made to the key points summary PDF in line with additions to the content

UNI_006: Conduct Risk and Treating Customers Fairly

This course has undergone extensive change as we have removed the ‘Conduct Risk’ element from this course and it is being moved into our new Risk and Operational Resilience course due Q4 2019. For the remaining part (TCF), this is being re-worked to ensure content and flow are correct and any regulatory changes are made, alongside the replacement of more recent examples of where customers have not been treated fairly. Going forward this course will be known as Treating Customers Fairly.

UNI_001: Whistleblowing with Confidence

• Additional content related to the definition of whistleblowing and in which circumstances this applies.
• Improved course flow and word count throughout to enhance the learner experience
• Amended content for qualifying disclosures and prescribed persons to improve the context and definition
• Removal of outdated references and amended context to present day
• Creation of a key points summary PDF for learners to print and keep after completing the course

UNI_086: General Data Protection

This course has been updated to take into account client feedback and overall improvements to the context and flow by amending the following:

• The introduction to protecting data – additional screen added to improve readability and flow
• Joint responsibilities for data controllers and processors under GDPR – improved definitions and liabilities
• Lawful processing – question removed and replaced by clearer text and types of lawful bases
• Breach reporting – clearer content on the responsibilities of the DPO and when to report to the IC
• Notifying individuals – improved content on when to notify and not notify individuals of a data breach

UNI_063: Approved Persons

• Improved content and flow to the section ‘why there are approved persons’. This includes the reason for approval in certain senior management roles.
• Addition of the CF10A function in the MLRO CF11 category
• Improved content regarding SM&CR in relation to ‘solo-regulated’ firms and what your firm needs to plan for in readiness for the changes to SM&CR in December 2019

UNI_054: Senior Management Arrangements, Systems, and Controls

This course has been converted to eCreator 2.0 to improve the look and feel and user experience.

New: health and safety content

With over 70 ROSPA approved and CPD certified courses to choose from, this library will help you achieve your health and safety compliance goals efficiently and effectively.

Whether your organization needs to get 2,000 employees easily compliant, contractors safe to work for on-site, temp staff on the shop floor quickly, or your small team feeling valued - the inclusion of health and safety-related courses in your training armory really raises your profile as an employer.

With titles suitable for all staff or people in specialist roles/circumstances or if your managers need some guidance the built for purpose library from Safety Media can meet the ever-increasing demands of the HSE. DSE, Manual Handling, Fire Safety, and so much more are covered in this specialist health and safety e-Learning catalog.

Updates from our partners

During Q3 our partner MicroLearn has released eight brand new courses. A large number of titles have also been updated across the following three suites: Communication and Social Skills Personal Development Customer Service

Workplace wellbeing suite Ambiguity Critical Thinking Curiosity	Health & safety suite Moving or Falling Objects Vehicles in or Around the WarehouseWorking at eight
Management & leadership suite Performance Management Workplace Ethics

Four brand new courses have been added to the collection in this quarter.

Payment Diversion Fraud - covers how to work safely by recognizing, reacting, and responding to this growing risk.	Business E-mail Compromise - understand how these attacks can work, and the steps that can be taken to verify the authenticity of e-mail requests.
Preparing for a Cyber-incident - highlights that preparing for a cyber-incident is ‘business as usual’ for all organizations, and managers need to understand the critical steps they need to take to prepare.	Managing your Supply Chain Risk - aims to provide everyone in an organisation with the essential guidance they need to manage supply chain cyber risks effectively.

Users can now click a full-screen button, choose a font size from small to jumbo and choose a high-contrast color theme, all from any page they are looking at. This will help with accessibility.

This quarter our sister organization, Socrates, launched four brand new courses and made two key updates. Details are shown below.

	Course name	Description
NEW RELEASE	SRA Codes of Conduct – Code for Solicitors	This course covers all your obligations under the new SRA Standards and Regulations. It looks at how you are regulated, the SRA Principles, and the SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors.
NEW RELEASE	SRA Codes of Conduct – Code for Firms	This is a specialist module on the SRA Code for Firms. It is for partners and others involved in the management of your firm.
NEW RELEASE	CQS Conveyancing Update 2019	Accredited by The Law Society. This course covers all the required modules: SDLT, leasehold property, defective title insurance, land registry, and notices to complete. There is also an assessment to check to understand.
NEW RELEASE	CQS Risk, Compliance and Client Care 2019	Accredited by The Law Society. This course covers all required modules: Transparency rules, client care, lender client care, the new Code for Completion, and fraud. An assessment checks that you have understood.
UPDATE	Anti-money laundering for fee earners in law firms	New look and feel and regulatory updates
UPDATE	Anti-money laundering for fee earners in International law firms	New look and feel and regulatory updates

Risk & operational resilience

We are continuing to work on the revision and amalgamation of our current Risk Management and Three Lines of Defence courses. We will be combining them with the latest thinking on Operational resilience from the industry, to bring your learners a new and improved course, Risk and Operational Resilience, that focuses on the application of risk management and resilience tools and practices in firms. This new course is intended for release Q4 2019.

COBS

Next quarter we will be updating our Conduct of Business Sourcebook (COBS) suite which comprises of the following pathways:

• Essentials
• Best Execution
• Client Categorisation
• Dealing and Managing
• Appropriateness and Suitability.

As part of this update for designated investment firms, we will also be updating our MiFID II course.

Explore our Access Digital Learning and Compliance software

New courses are being built for Q4 with the working title of Communication Essentials which will contain around 20 videos/6 micro-courses