In nearly any survey of investment advisors that covers alternative investments, one of the most significant issues expressed by advisors is their need for education on the alternatives. Advisors want to know what they are, how they work, what their risks are and how they fit into a portfolio. In response to this need, the CAIA Association and IMCA have teamed together to launch the Fundamentals of Alternative Investments Certificate Program. The new program is designed specifically for investment advisors and other intermediaries who are looking to gain a deeper understanding of alternatives as the market for alternative investments continues to grow.

“The landscape for alternatives has changed dramatically, and it is imperative that the professionals charged with managing, analyzing, distributing, and regulating these products keep pace with a focus that has knowledge and education as its central tenet,” said Bill Kelly, CAIA Association CEO, in a statement from the company. “The Fundamentals program is meant to be an answer to the continued quest for this knowledge coming from so many newer and more retail-oriented intermediaries and end-clients.”

The new Fundamentals program will cover a wide range of topics within alternatives, including overviews of portfolio construction, risk management, and due diligence, along with in-depth sections on hedge funds, real assets, private equity, commodities, and structured products. The CAIA Association, the global leader in alternative investment education, created the course in collaboration with IMCA, which delivers investment consulting and wealth management credentials and education. IMCA hosts the program—a self-paced course consisting of 20 one-hour modules, taught by CAIA’s leading experts and authorities in alternative investment education—on its education platform.

The timing for the program couldnt be better. Alternatives already represent $10 trillion of the global investment market, and at the same time, assets in liquid alternatives are expected to triple by 2017, according to a recent report by Citi Prime Finance. “Alternative investments are going mainstream, and educated investment advisors are critical to ensuring that these products are properly employed in sound investment portfolios,” said Sean R. Walters, CAE, IMCA’s executive director and CEO.

This new educational platform will provide advisors with critical insights into alternatives, and that will give them greater confidence in discussing and recommending alternative investments to their clients. In fact, in two recent surveys of investors, one by Invesco and one by MainStay. investors clearly stated that their main source of eduction on alternatives is their investment advisor. Now, with the new Fundamentals program, advisors have little reason not to be prepared to have that discussion.