National advice firm Progeny has expanded the curriculum at its adviser academy to include tax and legal secondments in a bid to "foster a new generation of advisers".
Gemma Schofield, training and competency manager, said the academy programme was designed to allow trainees to understand regulatory requirements whilst also gaining exposure to client-facing roles.
It comes as Progeny said it intended to continue expanding its academy, which has seen ten advisers enrol since it launched last year, including plans to provide training contracts to legal graduates.
Ms Schofield said: "By allowing them to rotate through a number of departments in the business, ones which complement financial advice, the aim is to foster a new generation of advisers with a more comprehensive knowledge of professional services.
"This is good for their own professional development and their future careers and, ultimately, will deliver a better service to their clients."
In November last year Progeny launched a tax arm, bringing tax services together with financial planning, investment management, private and corporate legal counsel under one business.
Neil Moles, chief executive at Progeny, said the academy was on a mission to create a "new type of financial adviser" and one with a broader understanding of how financial advice fitted with a client's "bigger picture".
Mr Moles said: "It’s not about creating an army of identikit sales machines; we want to give our young team members all the support and guidance they need to develop into fully-rounded professionals.
"This way, we can help them to develop into the advisers of the future, with the skills to anticipate the ever-evolving needs of clients and the confidence to lead the way for the industry."
Last month Progeny confirmed it was on the acquisition trail after a recruitment drive saw it gain 29 members of staff in the first half of the year despite lockdown restrictions.
The growth plans came as the company gained more than £180m in assets under management in the first six months of this year, up 75 per cent on new business in the same period during 2019.
rachel.mortimer@ft.com
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