The Academy would like to announce it’s reached a professional milestone of welcoming 500 graduates through our career change training programmes.
The Academy would like to announce it’s reached a professional milestone of welcoming 500 graduates through our career change training programmes. The latest cohort of graduates saw 61 qualified financial planners seeking a new career in financial planning and wealth management. This is a significant milestone for the Academy and we are proud of the contribution they have and will continue to make to the financial advice profession.
Michael Allen, an ex-professional rugby player, was identified as the 500th graduate. He’d spent eight years playing for his home team of Ulster and Edinburgh Rugby then found himself facing uncertainty regarding a contract extension. At just 26 years old, he had to consider the potential of a new career.
He was introduced to the St. James’s Place Academy by Paul Rowley, who at the time was enrolled on an Academy programme at the Edinburgh location. He made the decision this was the career change for him mainly due to the longevity and flexibility that this career provides and the excitement of a new challenge. Professional sport is a brilliant job and a great way of life, but it can end unexpectedly and he found himself wanting to find long-term security for himself and his family, coupled with a strong desire to remain in Edinburgh which he and his wife considered home. Especially as she was pregnant at the time of his retirement from rugby. They now have a two-year-old daughter and this role gives him the opportunity to be a very present father, something that is extremely important to him. The idea of joining the “real world” was daunting and at times difficult but it now seems normal and he’s very glad he made the change when he did.
Michael is now a qualified financial planner in Edinburgh having graduated from the St. James’s Place Academy. Thanks to the support he has been given by St. James’s Place, he swapped his boots for a shirt and tie and is successfully managing his clients working with the Partner Practice,Tweed Wealth Management.
A new career with St James Place Academy
Since 1992, the number of financial advisers in the UK has fallen, while demand for face-to-face financial advice has continued to increase, resulting in a substantial shortage of quality professional advice in the market. The Academy seeks to bridge this gap, by producing the next generation of educated, ethical and committed financial planners, who can either enjoy the autonomy of running their own wealth management business or join one of our many established Practices as an Adviser.
Numbers entering our Academy programmes continue to grow year-on-year and as the requirement for sound financial advice increases, we can be confident of the long-lasting value brought to the financial services sector. The Academy provides an important and innovative programme bridging the skills gap evident in the UK and continues to seek new talent to introduce to this highly skilled profession.