As part of The Aviva Future Adviser Programme, 35 business undergraduates from seven leading universities have been selected to attend a two-day assessment centre. The top 10 ‘gold' finalists will join a six-week summer internship with Aviva and leading adviser firms.
Candidates have been chosen from more than seventy entries to Aviva's programme. Students were asked to write an article on an issue facing the financial advice sector.
Ten gold winners and 10 silver runners-up will each receive a prize of £500. Along with a further 15 bronze runners-up, students will be given access to Aviva's Financial Adviser Academy and supported to continue a career in financial services.
The Aviva Future Adviser Programme was launched last year and is designed to encourage high-quality graduates to enter the financial advice profession.
The universities backing the programme are: Warwick, Imperial College London, Southampton, Manchester Metropolitan, Sheffield Hallam, Leeds Metropolitan and the University of East Anglia.
The Institute of Financial Planning, Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) and FSSC are supporting the programme along with LEBC Group, Threesixty Services, Honister Partners, Tenet and Sesame Bankhall Group.
Angela Seymour-Jackson, Intermediary and Partnerships Director at Aviva, said: "The retail distribution review is likely to cause a drop in the number of financial advisers at a time when adviser firms are telling us that they are struggling to recruit high-quality people. The Aviva Future Adviser Programme makes it easier for quality firms to attract high-calibre graduates through raising the profile of the sector and encouraging graduates to pursue a career in financial advice. The Future Adviser Programme aims to prepare graduates to get off to a dynamic and successful start with a quality advisory firm."
