In January 2015 eight starters began their training and will graduate this month. The insurer took on a second intake of graduates in May, while a further eight will join in September.
VitalityLife currently has 200 business consultants across the UK, typically supporting 68 advisers each.
Justin Taurog, managing director, sales and distribution at VitalityLife, said: ‘A highly skilled and knowledgeable distribution team will help us stay one-step ahead of the competition and meet the demands of an ever-changing marketplace.
“The sales teams’ learning and development requirements are an absolute priority for VitalityLife and we continually strengthen our Academy to help the team maximise their opportunities for success.
“Our academy offering includes face-to-face workshops, 1-2-1 coaching, webinars, online learning, information sharing, sign-posting to great resources and access to our experts.
“It brings together people with diverse skills, complementary expertise and different perspectives. Our aim is to develop confidence and knowledge among our new business consultants.”
Mark Dennison, principal at Westcliff-on-Sea based financial adviser firm LightBlue UK, added: “It is important for insurers to provide a face-to-face service for advisers because it improves the customer’s buying process.
“We tend to use providers more often if they have a presence in our office because if you build a relationship with somebody and they provide a good service it helps to improve the customer journey for what can be quite a long process.
“I still believe that many people do business with people, rather than companies, and this is particularly true for financial advisers.”
