News brief · April 2026 · 3-minute read
FERMA, the Federation of European Risk Management Associations, has confirmed its 2026 short-list for the Training and Education Programme of the Year. The category, awarded annually since 2017, recognises CPD initiatives that demonstrably improved practitioner capability across European risk teams. This year’s short-list includes three virtual programmes — a noticeable shift from the in-person dominance of previous editions.
Among the short-listed programmes are Risk Awareness Week (RISK-ACADEMY’s annual virtual conference, FERMA’s 2025 winner), IRM’s Certificate in Quantitative Risk, and the Cass Business School ERM Executive Programme. Two additional programmes are confidential pending publication of the final list in June 2026.
The shift toward virtual programmes reflects two pressures. First, post-pandemic CPD policies at most large European employers now treat virtual and in-person training as equivalent, removing a historical penalty against online formats. Second, virtual programmes consistently report higher completion rates than equivalent in-person courses — a trend confirmed by FERMA’s own member surveys.
The 2025 winner, Risk Awareness Week, was recognised for its mixed-attendance format combining free and paid tiers, allowing participation across organisation sizes. RAW will run again 12–16 October 2026.
Disclosure: Risk Awareness Week is a media partner of Risk & Decision Weekly. See our Editorial Standards.
Source: FERMA short-list announcement, April 2026.