NTUC Income (Income) is targeting to recruit 1,200 new financial advisors with the launch of its Sales Management Associate (SMA) program. Designed to groom participants, such as fresh graduates and mid-career job seekers, with little to no financial advisory experience to become sales specialists and leaders in the insurance industry, SMA is the only program in the industry that offers integrated career tracks in a financial advisory that range from tied advisors to retail and financial advisors. This gives participants a holistic exposure to the insurance industry and financial advisory before they decide on a career track to pursue.

The 18-month earn-as-you-learn program offers a starting monthly base remuneration of S$2,900, even as participants sit for exams to obtain relevant licenses. The SMA program is also uniquely structured (please refer to the program road map in Appendix) to hone a strong foundation in a financial advisory by allowing participants to first complete their financial advisory licensing, undergo sales training and on-the-job career discovery, before moving on to full-time careers within the Income network.

After obtaining their licenses, participants of the SMA program will receive on-the-job training at Income’s Retail Financial Service (RFS) branches, to learn the basics of policy servicing, handling customer claims and customer service, as well as, one-on-one mentorship by the senior management team at Income. The SMA program also offers participants the opportunity to undergo “job sampling” in the areas of insurance design, claims, product development, underwriting and more, so that they gain insights into Income’s front and back-end sales operations. This industry-first program design allows participants to deepen their understanding of the insurance industry, before embarking on full-time financial advisory careers, with the flexibility to hone their skills either as a client advisor with Income’s RFS branches, tied advisors with Income’s agency force, or a financial advisor at Income’s financial advisory subsidiary, Infinitum.

Fabian Ng, Income’s General Manager for Consumer Business, said, “Income believes in creating shared value for the company and the community that we serve. The launch of the SMA program is extremely timely as it helps to create meaningful job opportunities for Singaporeans in the current economic climate. This specially curated program is the only one that provides three career tracks, remuneration from the day you start which includes attractive bonuses, and not to mention well-rounded learning opportunities, including mentoring, across the different facets of insurance to hone strong financial advisory skills.”

“Our unique network and integrated approach allow us to groom the next generation of advisors holistically, and we believe that this will give them the flexibility to carve a clearer path for growth in the financial services industry. The SMA program will also enable us to double our agency force, to strengthen our distribution channels, and better serve the evolving insurance and financial advisory needs of Singaporeans,” Ng added.