A national IFA, pensions and employee benefits consultancy has delivered on its promise to invest in its Hull office by opening a training centre for developing the financial advisers of the future.
LEBC Group has taken additional space at The Deep Business Centre to house the new LEBC Academy, which serves the company’s offices nationwide.
LEBC opened its Hull office in 2006, and Chief Executive Jack McVitie told an event held to mark the 10th anniversary last year that there were plans for continuing growth and for further improvements to services.
The LEBC Academy was unveiled during the summer, and has now moved into its own dedicated suite after taking a further 500 square feet next to its existing office of 1,250 square feet.
Freya Cross, Business and Corporate Manager at The Deep, said: “LEBC Group is another good example of a tenant at The Deep Business Centre which has become established and then expanded to become a significant organisation.
“LEBC’s commitment to Hull and the surrounding area was underlined when they held their anniversary celebration at The Deep aquarium last year. The opening of the LEBC Academy builds on that and is providing excellent opportunities for young people from the local area to pursue careers in a growing industry and for people from outside the area to live and work in Hull.”
Suzanne Wadsworth, Foundation Paraplanning Manager at LEBC, said: “We expanded into a new office specifically for this project. The Academy was beginning to dominate the environment in the main office so we moved into our own space. The project is going really well and the trainees are making great progress.”
The Academy adds to the entry options for young graduates who are interested in pursuing a career in financial services. LEBC has recruited graduates from the Yorkshire and Humber area, four of whom are in Hull with one each in Leeds and Manchester.
Their three-year training programme will lead to a diploma qualification in financial services, after which the trainees can be considered for opportunities locally or in other LEBC locations.
Suzanne said: “Paraplanning as a discipline covers carrying out research and writing reports for financial advisers and is an area that has expanded significantly within LEBC during the last five or six years.
“We want to develop our Paraplanning services in Hull, where we have a team of 17 people, and to promote it as a career opportunity across our UK network of 16 offices and nearly 200 people.”