Eleven new brokers will begin training with Just Mortgages’ broker academy in the New Year.

The new members will join the firm’s employed division, with a further selection process for the self-employed division to open in January.

After coming through a rigorous selection procedure, the new recruits will undergo an intensive training programme over five weeks, which will include sales training and a UK Financial Regulation (CeMAP 1) module to ensure the brokers have the technical knowledge they need to get started.

After the initial training, Just Mortgages will provide ongoing support for brokers to progress to CeMAP 2 and 3.

The successful candidates were chosen from over 900 initial applicants, who were required to submit a 60-second video outlining why they should be picked for the academy, followed by a literacy and numeracy test. Those who passed were then asked to take the part of a broker in a role-playing exercise.

Afterwards, Just Mortgages selected 64 applicants to participate in a series of four assessment days, held in Dartford and Newbury over two weeks in October. This was followed by a final round of interviews, through which the firm picked the final eleven who were offered places at the academy.

One of the successful candidates, Stephanie Richards from Cardiff, said: “I am thrilled to have been chosen from so many applicants. The academy is going to be tough but I’m confident that Just Mortgages will provide me with all the support I need during the training programme and beyond that.”

Linsey Davies, who spearheaded the academy process at Just Mortgages, commented: “We were delighted to get over 900 applicants and it has been a difficult choice for us to get that down to eleven.”

“It’s important to have a tough selection process as it is a demanding training programme and they will need to be competitive to succeed once they have completed the training.”

She concluded: “The academy isn’t the only route into Just Mortgages – we’re growing all the time and we’re always open to experienced brokers or those with high potential to come and join our team.”