The Investment Dealers Association of Canada has selected to CSI Global Education Inc. to evaluate courses for accreditation to meet the guidelines for continuing education courses, assuming the role of Harrington Lane Inc.

The evaluation process is called the Continuing Education Course Accreditation Program or CECAP. CECAP permits course providers to apply for accreditation so that they can offer that certainty to their IDA Member customers

The IDA had selected Harrington Lane Inc. to run CECAP back in 2004.

In February of this year, Harrington was sold and withdrew from the CECAP program.

The IDA said CSI was a competitive participant in the original request for proposal process and based on its high scores and experience is the IDA’s choice to assume the role of accreditation evaluator.

The CECAP accreditation process, including the Web-based application, tracking and course listings will continue seamlessly. There will be no change in the prices as they were revised at the beginning of 2006 except that the per hour fee for re-accreditation of Cycle 2 Courses for Cycle 3 has been lowered from $200 to $100.

CSI will ensure the highest level of confidentiality, drawing on the CECAP process — designed by Harrington Lane Inc. in cooperation with the IDA — that ensures efficiency and discretion. CSI has also put measures in place to eliminate all possible conflicts of interest with applicants.

CSI will be responsible for evaluating courses against the criteria for IDA continuing education eligibility, but the IDA remains responsible for the final accreditation, based on the CSI’s recommendations, and is not bound to accept the recommendations.

“Any course provider that objects to the results of the evaluation can contact the IDA directly, as it could previously when Harrington Lane Inc. was the contract evaluator,” the IDA said in a release.

“The IDA would like to thank Harrington Lane Inc. for the creativity and diligence with which it designed and operated the CECAP process and looks forward to a productive relationship with the CSI in continuing the program,” said Larry Boyce, IDA vp, sales compliance, in a release.