I believe the only area in which we really fall down is that we don ’ t have enough apprenticeships , and we certainly don ’ t promote the ones we do have . We could do this in schools and colleges to show that there is another way other than higher education . Like me , not everyone wants to go down that route but have the drive and personality to make a difference to customers ’ lives .

I have seen an increasing number of smaller local mortgage and protection firms recruiting for school leavers to help with administrative duties , which then leads on to becoming paraplanners and , eventually , protection advisers . This path can build the foundation of a career as a protection adviser by learning the basics of processing correctly , and giving a flavour to the regulatory requirements to protect the customers with which they work .

which we really fall down is that we don ’ t have enough apprenticeships , and we certainly don ’ t promote the ones we do have . We could do this in schools and colleges to show that there is another way other than higher education .

There has been a lot of change with insurers over the years , especially with technology playing a bigger part in processing , but there are still roles being advertised for administrative work as well as customer service roles . This , again , can help build an understanding of the industry . What it also allows you to do is learn about different areas , such as claims or underwriting , and you may find that being a protection adviser isn ’ t your end goal any longer , but you will be contributing to the industry and creating better customer outcomes .

For me , some of the biggest success stories of getting younger and new people into the protection industry are from the firms that are looking to grow organically and use a referral system for family and friends . Sharing the details of a friend who has the right drive and attitude to become a protection adviser goes a lot further than trawling through CVs to find the right candidates before having to sit through hours of potentially pointless interviews . A friend or family member already comes with an endorsement , plus the added benefit that they are being trusted to do a good job should they be successful . This helps create a culture of community and promotes loyalty to the business .

By creating a more diverse workforce , we will start to raise the profile of protection . We will begin to filter through to demographics and communities that we may not have been able to in the past by sticking to traditional methods of obtaining advice , and this can only be a good thing .

EDITION 1 , SPRING / SUMMER 2022 |

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