SimplyBiz Group has revealed that the UK’s first workplace academy, designed to support advisers moving into – or already active within – the corporate advice market, will open its doors to the first intake in June.
Before that, a number of induction days will take place throughout April. These induction seminars offer a broad introduction to the workplace marketplace with sessions including operating profitably in the corporate market, identifying and approaching SME clients and leveraging professional connections.
The Academy, which is a subsidiary of SimplyBiz Group’s New Model Business Academy (NMBA), will offer face-to-face and online training across a number of modules on key areas of corporate advice. The programme, which is accredited by the Pension Management Institute (PMI), includes group risk, health and wellbeing products, salary exchange benefits, auto enrolment, credit broking and business protection. These are in addition to broader ranging subjects such as building, and marketing effectively, a robust workplace proposition and the critical soft skills needed to engage and deliver that proposition.
Matt Timmins, joint managing director of the SimplyBiz Group, said: “Advisers are always looking for innovative ways to grow their client bank of retail clients, and we have been focussed on supporting that approach for many years.
“What has been missing is the necessary training and technology to help advisers succeed in this market. The Workplace Academy will help equip advisers with the knowledge and skills needed to serve SMEs.”
Tom Nall, workplace solutions director of the SimplyBiz Group, added: “We know that the corporate market has a huge advice gap; there’s a real need and increasing demand, and yet many advisers are still reticent about entering the workplace market, viewing it as too difficult a market to penetrate.
“The FAMR Final Report and the recent Budget reinforced the role of the workplace as a major way of distributing financial services to the UK population and the role of advisers in ensuring this delivers positive outcomes. Undertaking the Workplace Academy’s programme allows advisers to position themselves as specialists in this area.”
