This article explains the concept of mature student-focused Graduate Certificate programs and delves into the Financial Planning program at Centennial College. This offering takes two semesters to complete and prepares students to work with numerous institutions.

1. Centennial College
Financial Planning Prepares Students for Career Increasing in Demand
Did you know that it is entirely possible to change your career path in as little as two months?
If you have already completed a post-secondary program in any discipline but wish to try
something totally new, Centennial College offers a range of Graduate Certificate courses.
These programs are designed with the mature learner in mind and take into account schedule
(to ensure that students can fulfill their current responsibilities), past education (to compound
the learning into a short amount of time and get students into the field quicker) and existing
knowledge (to eliminate liberal courses).
One of the Graduate Certificate programs offered at Centennial College is the Financial
Planning program, which prepares students for the role of the financial planner. According to
Wikipedia, this professional "prepares financial plans for people covering various aspects of
personal finance which includes: cash flow management, education planning, retirement
planning, investment planning, risk management and insurance planning, tax planning, estate
planning and business succession planning (for business owners). In carrying out the
planning function, professionals are guided by the financial planning process to create a
financial plan, a detailed strategy tailored to a client's specific situation, and for meeting a
client’s specific goals."
Through twelve courses that use instruction materials from professional bodies, students gain
all of the educational requirements to challenge the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) exam.
These courses include: Tax Planning, Estate Planning and Risk Management, Retirement
Financial Planning, Corporate Credit Management, Crafting and Executing Strategy and more.
After completing this Financial Planning certification, students have the know-how to:
Integrate ethical decision-making processes into all aspects of the financial planning
profession; integrate economic and personal information necessary for effective financial
planning decisions; compare, contrast and select financial products and services, investment
planning and counselling services for clients, while adhering to industry standards;
successfully adhere to financial planning principles and industry standards; prepare accurate
and relevant financial plans, manually and electronically; effectively market financial services
to clients to gain new and renewal business; and recognize potential tax and legal
implications within a financial planning situation.
Once they obtain their Certified Planner License, students may apply to jobs are institutions
such as: banks, credit unions, financial planning companies, life insurance companies, mutual
fund companies, investment dealers and more. Moreover, students of this Centennial College
are able to gain additional accreditations as a result of successful completion of courses and
industry exams that include: Canadian Securities Course (CSC®) and Wealth Management
Essentials (WME®).
However, students who wish to continue their educations will benefit from Centennial
College’s educational partnership with Davenport University. It allows qualified graduates to
apply academic credit towards further study in the school's associated program.