Paradigm Mortgage Services has launched a new CPD & Sales Academy, with the aim to help advisers reach and maintain their CPD hours under the new Insurance Distribution Directive (IDD) rules.

The IDD introduces a minimum of 15 hours CPD for all staff who sell, advise on or transact insurance customers, as well as those that assist in the administration or performance of the contracts.

The Paradigm CPD & Sales Academy is a hub where advisers can access a range of CPD content from Paradigm’s lender and provider partners. The content is split by subject, format and learning objectives, whether it is structured/unstructured, and how many minutes/hours it counts towards the CPD requirement.

Users can review the CPD opportunities available to them and pick the most suitable and relevant to their needs. Advisers can also log in, record and track all of their CPD hours, plus receive a live update on how many hours they have completed in the year-to-date.

Paradigm says it is also working with a number of partners to produce exclusive CPD/Academy content which will also be available online.

The Paradigm CPD & Sales Academy can be viewed by clicking Academy at the top of both the Paradigm Mortgage Services and Paradigm Protect websites.

Riona Mulherin, head of marketing & operations at Paradigm Mortgage Services, said: “We know that completing, recording and tracking CPD hours can be an arduous task for advisers, and with the new IDD rules coming into force in October, we wanted to take steps to make this process as pain-free as possible. ]

“The Paradigm CPD & Sales Academy will be available to all directly authorised intermediaries who register to get access, and I’m delighted to say that we already have a wealth of materials available for advisers to start taking advantage of. We are committed to raising industry standards and also to making life easier for intermediaries.

“Using the recording facility will allow advisers to set aside the required time to complete their continued professional development, which will clearly have benefits for the end client too.”

Charly Higman, mortgage & protection director at Paradigm member firm, TFA, added: “This is an excellent tool which is perfect for new starters and competent advisers who want to pick and chose development material. It covers a wide range of items from ‘reading a credit report’ to ‘buy-to-let taxation and top slicing’ using several mediums such as webinars, live events and podcasts.

“This is a great way for lenders and insurance firms to add value to an adviser’s business, particularly as its all stored in one place and when complete can be recorded in a bespoke CPD log.

“I would encourage all providers to supply CPD material for this facility, especially with IDD looming.”