Just Mortgages’ academy is welcoming a 18 attendees into its training programme, a record number.

They will take part in the five-week course which is the last academy of 2021. Over the year Just Mortgages will have trained over 65 new brokers.

There were 1,200 applications for the 18 places. These applicants also come from a variety of backgrounds, with recent graduates including those from the hospitality industry, others from the dentistry industry and estate agents.

The training that the attendees go through has been designed by Rodney Sloan, head of training for Just Mortgages.

He said: “We want to help as many people into the industry as possible, and that is why we have expanded the course to accommodate 18 people.

“Competition for places on our academy is incredibly tough. Every course we struggle to decide who deserves a place. Although we could conduct courses with larger groups via video conferencing, we don’t want to compromise on the quality of our training.

“By conducting the training in person, everyone on the course gets time to discuss any queries with the team, and the other trainee brokers.

“It is a source of massive pride that we support new blood coming into the mortgage industry through our academy, and this year we have trained more brokers than ever before. Next year we will build on this, and continue to bring talent into the sector.”

The course varies depending on the experience of the attendees. Those without CeMap1 take a five-week course, the first two weeks of which are focused on achieving their CeMap1 qualification. Those who have CeMap1 already join for the final three weeks which builds upon CeMap1.

These skills include developing an understanding of the sales process, how to build rapport with clients and effective questioning to understand clients’ needs. Alongside learning about mortgages, the course places equal importance on protection.