Access Financial Services has announced the completion of its new academy proposition with the introduction of a suite of CeMAP courses.

Overseen by Peter Phillips, the firm’s training manager, the enhanced academy aims to train and develop a new wave of advisers.

Over the past year, Access FS has doubled its roster of advisers from 120 to 250. The mortgage and protection firm attributes its expansion to its academy programme, which has helped attract new talent.

The newly revamped academy now conducts monthly training sessions, with up to 18 participants in each group. The curriculum includes CeMAP levels 1, 2, and 3.

Karl Wilkinson (pictured), CEO of Access Financial Services, said: “We are incredibly proud to announce the new Access Academy proposition as we look to build bright futures for our future advisers.

“Peter has been invaluable since joining us in February as we continue to enhance our offering to meet the demand of our academy signups.

“It is a great achievement for the firm to reach the 250 milestone, and we expect to have more than 300 advisers by the end of this year, while laying the groundwork to achieve 1,000 advisers over the next three years.”

Access will initially introduce the new academy proposition to its protection-only team, along with any new advisers joining with a focus on protection.

Wilkinson added: “The protection gap is as large as ever, with 60 per cent of the country lacking life assurance, with many not even considering it until purchasing a house with a partner.

“We are bringing in aspiring advisers and training them to be knowledgeable in both protection and mortgage sales, ensuring clients always receive the best advice across our suite of protection and insurance products.”