The Alberta and B.C. mortgage brokers associations announced yesterday they are establishing a Western Canadian education platform for members.
The Alberta and B.C. mortgage brokers associations announced yesterday they are establishing a Western Canadian education platform for members.
“Our industry has changed substantially,” says Jared Dreyer, president of MBABC, “and there is a need to ensure access to quality education for mortgage brokers.”
A shared goal for both provincial associations, the platform will be designed to provide greater access to quality courses while offsetting development costs.
“It is a logical next step for the two key provincial associations in Western Canada to collaborate in sharing our knowledge and platforms,” says AMBA President Ron McClenaghan.
The close working relationship Alberta and British Columbia have makes the collaboration a perfect fit, says Samantha Gale, the CEO of MBABC.
“It is the goal of both associations to provide greater access to quality courses while offsetting development costs,” says Gale. “The industry has been pushing for the associations to find points of connectivity and develop them to bring the membership greater value, as well as cost savings.”
The chair of Mortgage Broker Regulator’s Council of Canada, Kirk Bacon, believes the furthering of broker education can only advance the professionalism of the industry.
“THE MBRCC believes that quality education is a foundation for advancing industry professionalism and consumer protection,” says Bacon. “As an organization founded on the importance of collaboration among Canada’s mortgage broker regulators, the MBRCC supports AMBA and MBABC coming together in an effort to improve access to quality education.”
The real estate council of Alberta sees the educational platform as essential to the improvement of the mortgage broker industry.
“Cooperation and collaboration… is essential for the mortgage broker industry in Canada,” says RECA Executive Director Bob Myroniuk. “We see this as advancing mortgage broker education in a positive way and RECA supports the associations as they work together on this initiative.”
But broker networks continue to advance their own professional development efforts and training.
Dominion Lending Centres, for example, launched their online eUniversity on-demand video training portal recently, a project that was more than a year in the making.
“Handpicked trainers and coaches will educate and inspire DLCers on a variety of topics,” says Brittany Hardy, Marketing Manager at Dominion Lending Centres, pointing to the intranet that has more than 47,200 page views and 13,000 visits each month. “From sales training, marketing and advertising to technology, business management, and lending.”
