Increasingly, small business owners need the support of financial counsellors. Sustained lockdowns have placed enduring financial pressure on a number of small business owners and employees, many of whom may never have experienced financial precarity before. Around us we see more and more people, who would otherwise have been employees, making their living as sole traders due to the growing gig or on-demand economy. Many often make their start in small business without preparation or thought of both what it takes and the obligations involved. In this context, the need for small business support is increasing and irrefutable – and evidenced by the increasing number of complaints being made by small businesses to ombudsman services.
In light of this situation, it has been great to see so many financial counsellors preparing themselves to meet this need. The last module of the Foundations of Small Business Financial Counselling e-Learning Series was released in July – and, to date, over 130 members have accessed the series. In fact, we are now thrilled to report that 15 members so far have completed the entire series – all eight modules’ worth!
Congratulations to the following members for finishing the pilot of the series (available to EACH small business financial counselling team only):
- Julie Dal Pra
- Savio D’Souza
- Bronny Higgs
- Liz McCarthy
- Christina Jenkins
- Chris Kunaratnam
- Paula Pecchiari
- Rosemary Steinfort
- Beccy Tarasuik
Congratulations to the following members for finishing Mark 2 of the e-Learning series (available to all FCVic members):
- Louise Dillon
- Antoinette Gagliardi
- Helen Knipe
- Callum MacKenzie
- Sarah Pace
- Ajit Pillai
We know that the Foundations of Small Business Financial Counselling e-Learning Series requires a large time commitment and commend these members on their efforts. To acknowledge their achievement, all those who finish the series receive a completion certificate and CPD points in accordance with the work they have completed.
The series continues to receive positive feedback from many members, who praise its depth, clarity and “great mix of theory and practical examples”. Upon completion of the series, members should have both an increased understanding of the particularities of small business financial counselling, and an increased confidence to assist sole traders and other small business clients. We’re hopeful that the content of the series will assist financial counsellors to address the needs of struggling small business owners.
In November, FCVic will be complementing these specialist resources by offering a practical scenario-based session on working with sole traders. This half-day training session provides practical tools and approaches that will increase confidence when dealing with sole traders or those in a partnership. Look out for further details of this upcoming training in next week’s Gazette.
To access the Foundations of Small Business Financial Counselling e-Learning Series, please click here.