AMP Horizons has won international acclaim for a training course that encourages people to become financial planners.

Its Career Changer Program has taken the American Society for Training and Development’s excellence in practice award for career development.

The year-long course is aimed at people seeking new professions. It includes 10 weeks’ academic training and nine months’ on-the-job experience, with the aim for graduates to join an AMP Financial Planning practice or start their own.

The program, which is aligned with the University of NSW, has provided a clear pathway to the profession, according to AMP Horizons director Amelia Constantinidis.

“Previously, people with the potential to be excellent financial planners, but without experience, didn’t apply.”