I don ’ t think anyone wanted to be a financial adviser , much less a protection adviser . And this is mainly because it isn ’ t as ‘ noble ’ as a fireman or high profile as a lawyer , and it certainly isn ’ t on many young people ’ s radars – but that doesn ’ t make it any less important . There is a role for everyone in this world , it ’ s what makes the world go round , and we need to get better at supporting people into those roles , whatever they may be .

There are a number of reasons that we struggle to attract young people into the protection industry and one of the main ones is because the role isn ’ t relatable to the youth of today . Picture a financial adviser ... what do you see ? The average age and gender of an adviser is still in their 50s and male . How do you get a 21-year-old , straight from university , to see themselves following that career path ? It is a pretty steep climb , considering the age of developing technology in which we currently live .

We need to change this perception , and we can do this by adopting on a broad scale some of the practices that firms within our industry are already starting to master .

I fell into financial services , as I am sure quite a few people did . I wasn ’ t interested in university , but I was interested in working and learning at the same time , and one of the biggest employers in my hometown was HSBC , so off I went to work at their contact centre and to start my career .

There are a number of reasons that we struggle to attract young people into the protection industry and one of the main ones is because the role isn ’ t relatable to the youth of today .

Fast-forward 17 years and I now oversee the protection division of the largest compliance and service provider in the UK ! This isn ’ t because of any qualification I have , it is because I have been supported by the businesses and the people that I have been fortunate enough to work for , as well as my own hard work , of course !

A few firms that I have worked with over the years have formalised the process of offering apprenticeships which , in my opinion , is an excellent way to give young people a taste of our industry . I recently read an article from a woman who secured herself an apprenticeship with a large protection referral business straight from school , and went from learning about customer service to falling in love with helping ‘ uninsurable ’ customers get cover . Going to work for the right firm at 16 , 18 or 21 can give the direction needed to forge a fabulous career in protection and , more widely , in financial services . It allows us to showcase the amazing things we can do for customers , whilst also developing lifelong skills .

12 | THE PROTECTION ADVISER