The Pensions Management Institute (PMI) has appointed Equiniti Retirement Solutions as the latest organisation to join its Development Partnership programme.

The partnership reflected a shared commitment to professionalising pensions at scale across administration and technology, both in the UK and internationally, at a time of increasing regulatory and government expectations around standards in the pensions industry.

The PMI said its Development Partnership initiative was designed to help organisations build and sustain capability, consistency, and professionalism across their pensions workforce, supporting better outcomes for UK savers.

As part of the partnership, Equiniti Retirement Solutions will provide its 1,300 colleagues, including its growing teams in India, with direct access to the PMI’s education, training, and student membership.

This is intended to create a single, global standard of pensions knowledge and practice across the business.

PMI chief customer officer, Varsha Gicas, said the organisation was pleased to welcome Equiniti Retirement Solutions to the programme.

“We are delighted to welcome Equiniti Retirement Solutions as our latest development partner and to support its ambition to provide consistent access to PMI education and training for colleagues across the UK and internationally,” she continued.

“Professional standards are fundamental to delivering good outcomes for savers, particularly in a complex and fast-evolving pensions landscape.

"Our Development Partnership programme is uniquely placed to ensure high-quality learning and professional recognition are accessible in a practical, meaningful way.”

The partnership will give Equiniti Retirement Solutions employees access to PMI learning pathways, insights and professional networks, supporting career development while embedding a common standard of knowledge and practice across teams.

Equiniti Retirement Solutions chief executive, Duncan Watson, noted that the firm had been "re-professionalising" learning for colleagues over the past year, with a renewed focus on pensions.

“This partnership opens the door to the PMI’s respected and recognised pathways for every single one of our administrators and technology experts,” Watson added.

“It will allow our people to see a career, not just a job, and will give clients confidence that we’re investing in the right skills to deliver consistently excellent service.”

He also stressed that, as both an administration and platform business, Equiniti Retirement Solutions saw particular value in extending pensions education beyond traditional administration roles to its technology teams, thereby helping improve understanding, retention, and progression in a high-volume, fast-paced environment.

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