Further training

CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AT THE SAA

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

With the development of its Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program, the SAA is complying with the recommendations of international actuarial associations and ensuring the reputation of its members vis-à-vis representatives of other national organizations in the actuarial field.
 
The overarching goal of the CPD program is to maintain and enhance the quality and reputation of the actuarial profession in the Swiss financial center and beyond. In addition, the CPD program offers the opportunity to involve SAA members more closely in the activities of the organization.

The CPD has been mandatory for all members of the Actuary Section SAA since January 1, 2012. Other European actuarial associations have already introduced such a concept or are about to do so.

Certified Enterprise Risk Actuary (CERA)

The Certified Enterprise Risk Actuary (CERA,http://www.ceraglobal.org)

is a globally recognised, standardised qualification in the field of enterprise risk management (ERM). It is aimed at working and fully qualified actuaries.

The title ‘Certified Enterprise Risk Actuary’ (CERA) is protected by trademark law and is a recognised confirmation that the holders of this title have extensive knowledge and skills in the field of enterprise risk management (ERM).

To obtain the ‘Certified Enterprise Risk Actuary’ qualification, candidates enrol in the CERA training programme with the aim of obtaining the additional CERA qualification.

Agreement with the International CERA Board

In 2012, the Swiss Association of Actuaries (SAA) was confirmed as an acceding party to the Global CERA Treaty and attained award signatory status in 2013 (http://www.ceraglobal.org/about/participating). The agreement regulates the mutual recognition of the professional qualifications of CERAs from different countries. The agreement applies to members of the SAA who wish to work in another country with a participating actuarial association, as well as to members of these associations who wish to work in Switzerland.

CERA Training

The training is aimed at members of the ‘SAV Actuaries’ section who are also active in the field of enterprise risk management (ERM) or wish to become active in this field in the future. The title “CERA” can be obtained by anyone who belongs to the ‘SAV Actuaries’ section and fulfils the relevant additional qualification for actuaries in the field of enterprise risk management. The additional qualification consists of four separate modules, each with its own examination.

Training to obtain this additional qualification is provided for Actuaries SAV by the German Actuarial Academy (DAA) in German and the European Actuarial Academy (EAA)

in English. The above-mentioned modules are taught in the form of seminars and attendance is compulsory. Further information can be found in the ‘Training’ section of the DAV website, under ‘Additional qualification CERA’.

Registration for CERA training is done through the Swiss Association of Actuaries (SAA). The SAA checks and verifies the member's affiliation with the ‘SAA Actuaries’ section and forwards the registration to the DAV according to the process intended for Swiss actuaries. Candidates then organise their enrolment and participation in the modules themselves. The corresponding examinations are also offered in Switzerland.

The SST knowledge required in accordance with the regulations for additional CERA training is assessed by the CERA Commission. The Commission makes the final decision as to whether the demonstrable SST knowledge is sufficient or whether an additional SST course must be attended. SST courses are offered once a year by the SAV.

Once all examinations have been passed, candidates apply to the CERA Commission of the SAV for CERA certification. The SAV Executive Board decides on the application. The relevant provisions are set out in the CERA supplementary training regulations.

A one-off dossier fee of CHF 200 is charged for the award of the ‘CERA’ title.

CERA Training Regiistration procedure

The form must be printed out, signed and sent to the CERA Commission via the SAA office. The SAA will verify and confirm the member's affiliation with the ‘SAA Actuaries’ section and forward the registration to the DAV in accordance with the process specified for Swiss actuaries. The candidate will receive login details for the portal of the German Actuarial Academy (DAA).
 

Organisation / Procedure of the CERA Training Programme

Candidates register:
a) electronically for the respective compulsory CERA seminars using their login details for the German Actuarial Academy (DAA) portal and attend these seminars in Germany;
or
b) electronically with the European Actuarial Academy for the respective compulsory CERA seminars and attend the seminars depending on the venue specified in the announcement. Registration for the respective examinations (including those held in Switzerland) must also be done via the portal of the German Actuarial Academy (DAA). Proof of participation in the relevant compulsory seminar must be enclosed with the respective registration. Once all examinations have been successfully passed, an application for CERA certification can be submitted to the CERA Commission of the SAA. The application must be accompanied by proof that all examinations for the acquisition of the CERA additional qualification have been successfully passed in accordance with the applicable examination regulations. The application is also the application for membership of the CERA section.