The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners has launched the second intake for its newest qualification, the Certificate for Financial Services (Trusts and Estate Planning).

According to STEP, the qualification is the only trust and estate planning qualification to address the common ground between trustees and those working in the financial services sector. Designed as a level four qualification – the equivalent of undergraduate standard – the certificate was developed with both the UK regulator’s Retail Distribution Review and Legal Services Act 2007, the Society said.

Financial services luminary Julie Hutchinson, who is head of estate planning at Standard Life, designed and edited the core text for the qualification.

Over a hundred candidates entered the inaugural intake of the qualification, and it might be expected that the second will prove to be even more popular as advisors move to upgrade their knowledge before the RDR’s minimum qualification requirements come into force at the end of 2012.