Financial Services

Could you explain an RRSP, a segregated fund and a corporate balance sheet to the same client in one afternoon? Assiniboine College’s Financial Services advanced diploma is an eight-month programme for people who already hold a two-year diploma or a university degree, and it is taught at the Victoria Avenue East campus in Brandon.

The programme packs sixteen courses into two terms. Industry courses include Canadian Investment Funds, Financial Planning, Life License Qualification, Personal Finance, Corporate Finance and Taxation 1, which together cover mutual funds, retirement and estate planning, insurance products, company financing decisions and personal income tax. Client-facing skills come from Professional Selling and Consumer Behaviour, while Statistics 1 and Statistics 2 build the numerical base for analysing portfolios and risk. Business Law, Canadian Business and Society, Advanced Software, Indigenous History and Indigenous Human/Fiscal Issues round out the year, the last two reflecting the financial questions faced by First Nations communities and businesses in Manitoba.

Assiniboine builds industry credentials directly into the timetable. The Life License Qualification course is delivered with the IFSE Institute, and Canadian Investment Funds and Financial Planning are delivered through the Canadian Securities Institute, so students complete recognised course requirements for insurance and mutual fund work while still in class. The programme has no co-op term; instead, the programme uses guest speakers and industry networking to connect students with financial employers. Credit earned may also transfer through Assiniboine’s agreements with other colleges, universities and professional bodies.

Graduates of the Financial Services advanced diploma move into roles such as personal banking advisor, mutual fund representative, financial planning associate, life insurance agent and lending officer. It suits business or commerce graduates, and degree holders from other fields, who want a focused year that turns general knowledge into the specific product, planning and tax skills that financial institutions expect from front-line advisors.