Access Financial Services has agreed an exclusive tie with Vitality to boost the training of brokers who are inexperienced in the protection space.

It will form part of Access’s academy that trains brokers to become quality advisers and high-income earners.

The arrangement with Vitality covers the whole suite of protection products including life assurance, critical illness, income protection and private medical insurance.

Access FS runs a number of academies throughout the year to help bring new mortgage and protection advisers into the industry. The exclusive tie with Vitality is designed to help advisers new to advising on protection to really understand protection in-depth and provide clients with the “best” protection advice.

Access FS also runs a whole of market proposition for experienced protection advisers which will run alongside this arrangement. Those wishing to switch and use the new deal with Vitality will be able to.

All new advisers will receive in-depth training for a 12-month period and can then choose to broaden out and choose the whole of market route when they feel confident to do so should they wish to. Advisers on the exclusive tie route will get slightly higher commission rates, to help them to recognise the value of protection products for their clients.

Karl Wilkinson (pictured), CEO of Access FS, said: “In a country which is woefully under-insured and under-protected, the need for protection has never been greater. The case for this increases further when a person is committing themselves to, what is likely to be, the biggest debt they will ever have in taking out a mortgage, although there are many events in a person’s life which increases their need for protection.

“At Access FS we are working hard both to increase the number of protection advisers and also to intensify the level and depth of training they receive. This exclusive tie with Vitality provides us with the opportunity to ensure our advisers really understand what they are advising on in depth. Vitality is a fabulous partner to have in this respect as they are hugely supportive of trainee advisers, and their protection proposition offers the broadest and most comprehensive range of products in the market.”

Justin Garbutt, UK distribution director of Vitality, added: “We are delighted to have Access FS as a member of our fast-growing Exclusive Associate channel. They are a company that truly believes in the value of protection and is taking proactive measures to close the protection gap.

“Their approach to training new people is really refreshing and shows their dedication to ensuring their clients always get best advice. It will be a real pleasure to work with Karl and the team to help them to develop both new and existing mortgage and protection advisers.”