Charles Schwab is stepping up its advisory involvement with the launch of Schwab Advisor University, an interactive online training program designed to help registered investment advisors improve their skills and productivity.

The program, which allows users to study at their own pace, was developed to help RIAs to conduct better business relations with Schwab. The program was borne out of a recent study conducted by the firm, which showed that the majority of advisors saw training as the best way to utilize the company's technology tools.

"Advisors tell us that maximizing productivity and efficiency to enable growth is one of their top business priorities," said Julie Sunwoo, the vice president of business consulting for Schwab Advisor Services.

The program is designed to work with its Technology Adoption Scorecard to identify key areas of productivity which will then be addressed with specific training. The scorecard was launched in 2008 and has since been used by over 3,000 advisory firms.

The Schwab online study was conducted among 1,049 independent advisor clients within the the company's network from October to November 2009.