The Ethical Funds Co. today announced a sustainable investing training and certification program that will help advisors talk about the benefits and best practices of sustainable investing with their clients.

“Building a Better Future – Sustainable Investing Certification Program” will help advisors to better understand sustainability issues, how these issues relate to investors and how to effectively integrate sustainable investing into the advisory process.

“We have developed this program to help make the complex issues around sustainable investing easy for advisors and investors to understand,” says Elaine McHarg, senior vp, marketing and chief marketing officer. “Canadians want to invest in companies that take environmental, social and governance issues into consideration and we want to help Canadian advisors and investors fully grasp the issues and show them how sustainable investing can fit in with their existing clients and investments.”

The sustainable investing training program involves three, two-and-a-half hour, face-to-face learning labs and post-session activities, including The Power of Positive Investing and Selling with a Competitive Edge. After completing the certification program, advisors will be qualified to:

  • Communicate their fundamental knowledge of sustainable investing;
  • Position sustainable investing as a competitive advantage;
  • Explain best practices in sustainable investing;
  • Describe current and future sustainable investing business opportunities and their
    impact on the bottom line;
  • Define the key steps in buying and selling sustainable investments; and
  • Utilize sustainable investment sales support tools to enrich investor conversations.

The program was developed in conjunction with Metrix Group Inc., a leading strategic learning and development firm based in Toronto, and is the result of extensive external research around sustainability and the priorities of Canadian investors.

“This interactive and dynamic modular program will enhance advisors’ selling skills by providing them with resources and support tools to enable them to explain in clear, easy-to-understand language, what sustainable investing is and how it benefits the The Ethical Funds Co.’s target market,” says Christine Pylat, Partner and Principal, Metrix Group Inc.

The program will be rolled out to advisors by the Ethical Funds sales team.