That is the message from Alan Dick CFPCM, who became IFP President in October. Mr Dick, whose new title following the CISI merger is Chairman of the IFP Financial Planning Professional Forum committee, believes it is vital to get youngsters thinking about becoming a planner.

He wants them to be thinking about it at school age but said in order to so the profession needs to make more people aware that it exists and what it does.

He told sister publication Financial Planner magazine: “We need to make Financial Planning sexy enough that an army of school kids say ‘I want to be a Financial Planner’ when asked about their future career.”

He said: “We need to encourage more planners into the profession; whether it be existing advisers currently operating a transactional product advice model, or top young talent straight out of further or higher education.

“In order for Financial Planning to flourish we need to ensure there is a clear pathway from entering the business to reaching the peaks of professionalism.

“We need to make Financial Planning attractive to young people and also their parents who have a significant influence on their choice of career and qualifications.”

Mr Dick said he had been playing his part already in trying to generate interest among young people and had participated in various careers events at his children’s school.

But he said: “When I asked students what they want to do when they leave school not one of them said they want to be a Financial Planner.

“There were plenty of would be accountants, lawyers and doctors. There were even stockbrokers and fund managers but not one planner.”

He said Financial Planning needed to move on from being seen as the ‘emerging’ profession.