The Professional Skills Working Group (PSWG) ensures IFoA members have the professional skills to excel in their roles and uphold standards. We used to be the Professional Skills Sub-committee; our new name brings the opportunity to reintroduce our work. We are always open to feedback and ideas, and would love to hear from you.
The PSWG works closely with other IFoA areas and departments, as well as external organisations and experts, to identify emerging trends and best practices in professional skills development. This informs the design and delivery of training programmes, resources and assessments to enable IFoA members to continually develop and improve their professional skills. These resources include:
Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) Professional Skills Hub
The most collaborative aspect is creating the content for the IFoA VLE. Volunteers are involved at all stages, from the spark of an idea to the final entertaining and educational video.
- A range of videos and mini case studies, set around the Actuaries’ Code, are released biannually. Check out our latest content set, ‘An ethical lens on current themes’, added to the VLE in March
- During the past decade we have created 85 full-length videos, 63 follow-up videos, 18 ‘vox pop’ or ‘Insta-story’ videos and 64 non-video storyboards or offline scenarios. Highlights include filming in Malaysia, Singapore and Kenya
- For the 2021–22 continuing professional development (CPD) year, six videos and follow-up discussion videos have been developed, which have so far been viewed more than 31,000 times. Member feedback was positive and included several suggestions that have been considered for future releases
- We launched an interactive microsite to help members learn how bias can affect our work and decision-making. Members can work through the microsite at their own pace.
Webinars and in-person training
The PSWG hosts webinars on a range of professional skills topics, including IFoA webinars and virtual conferences. We were delighted to be back in person in 2022 for the IFoA Conference, Life and GIRO. Keep an eye on the IFoA events calendar for upcoming sessions.
Professional Skills Training (PST) Toolkit
Reliance on online training has increased following the Covid pandemic, and this toolkit has become a pivotal resource for hosting online sessions. It includes all the details needed to host an online meeting, including a draft PowerPoint and tips for a successful PST event. Feedback has been positive, with 100% of users saying it adequately equipped them to deliver their event, and 98% saying the content was excellent or good.
Do you have an idea for a PST scenario, or would you like to be involved with the PSWG? We are always looking for new perspectives. Reach out via [email protected]
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