A leading Paraplanner in the Powwow movement has backed a minimum standard for the profession - but says it should not be exam based.
Alan Gow, one of a trio behind last week's Powwow Down South, admitted, however, that there were a number of questions and difficulties with the idea.
The topic was once again a key part of the debate for Paraplanners who gathered for the event in London on Thursday, having come to the fore at the national Powwow two months ago.
Mr Gow, co-owner of Argonaut Paraplanning, told Financial Planner online: "There was some more discussion on whether there should be a minimum level of qualification.
"It there's a consensus at all, as it's a very contentious topic, I would say, and it's only my opinion, that it would be appropriate to have some sort of minimum standard but it shouldn't be exam based as it doesn't take account of people's ability to apply their knowledge and those who have been in their jobs a long time and know their stuff inside out.
"The problem is, I don't think there's any simple way to define what this standard should be, or how it would be recorded or controlled.
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"There's definitely acknowledgement that a minimum level of qualification alone wouldn't be the right way to go at the moment."
Organisers, who also included John Redmond of BPH Wealth Management and Nathan Fryer from Plan Works, felt the event was another success. It was at full capacity, with about 30 Paraplanners attending.
Mr Gow said: "The session was a mixture of people who were returning from the previous Powwow Down South and some new people as well.
"It was a really nice group with a lot of people contributing to the discussion. It's quite common to get a some people who don't like speaking up but there was a lot of participation.
"You could see how people were taking something useful for their jobs."
Despite there having been a number of similar events already, Mr Gow said he continues to find fresh information and views abound.
He said: "I'm still surprised me how many different ways Paraplanners do what is essentially the same role.
"It's always very interesting to me to hear how other people structure their reports and come up with ideas that are just really new and fresh and give people ideas to take away and use."
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