Raymond James announces a partnership with Supernova to attract and support diverse talent in our profession.

Raymond James is proud to announce two new sponsorships of Supernova scholarships for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). This decision is aligned with the firm’s commitment to recruiting and supporting diverse talent and its continued pledge to the Black community.

This partnership will provide these students a pathway into the firm’s program for developing next-generation advisors, the Advisory Mastery Program (AMP).

In addition to partnership programs, like Supernova Scholars, Raymond James offers a variety of other opportunities to help develop and train the next generation of financial advisors, including:

• Branch internship opportunities that allow interns to gain an informed perspective on the day to day for financial advisors and how it differs today from years past.
• The Advisor Career Path Program (ACP) offers home office associates who want to become financial advisors the chance to preview AMP while in their home office role.
• The Registered Associate Mentoring Program (RAMP) is for those who start their careers as branch associates and are considering transitioning to a financial advisor role.
• The AMP Foundation, which allows college graduates or career changers new to the financial services industry to focus on financial planning, sales management skills and much more.

“Having recently held our ninth annual Black Financial Advisors Network Symposium, our involvement with the Supernova Scholars program helps with one of our organization’s goals, which is to expand the pool of Black individuals that have an interest in becoming financial advisors,” said Stephen Pryor, director at Alex. Brown, a division of Raymond James, and a Supernova Scholars Board Member. “Our relationship with the Supernova Scholars program allows us to further connect with HBCUs to identify potential and qualified next-generation talent.”

The Supernova Scholars/Raymond James Partnership

Financial services firms have partnered with the Supernova Scholars program and several of the nation’s HBCUs to provide African American college students opportunities through mentorship, a summer internship, outside soft-skill training and placement on an inclusive financial advisor team. According to Supernova Consulting, the combination of scholarship and this training for HBCU students is the first program of its kind, aiming to bolster positive change within the financial services industry by introducing more diversity and inclusion.

Upon completing the five-year Supernova Scholars program, graduates will:

• Have mastered communication, leadership, critical thinking and collaboration skills
• Be trained in the Supernova Process, Supernova Consulting’s step-by-step approach to segmenting, organizing and growing a financial services practice
• Be proficient in leveraging social media for client prospecting
• Be placed into an established financial services team that has gone through their coaching to ensure the success of accepting a student as a new team member
• Be eligible for two years of professional practice management coaching by a trained Supernova coach
• Be eligible to participate in the Raymond James AMP, a 24-month training program to help new advisors reach professional milestones and acquire necessary licenses

“We are pleased to welcome Raymond James as one of our partners,” said Robert Knapp, chairman of Supernova Scholars. “They share my passion for providing these students a pathway to success in the wealth management industry.”

“We’re committed to changing the industry dynamic by expanding the talent pool of well-trained African American financial advisors,” said Curtis C. Brown Jr., vice chairman of Supernova Scholars. We appreciate the Raymond James program sponsorship and align dedication to increasing diversity and inclusion in financial services.”

Learn more about AMP and the Raymond James Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Networks, including the firm’s Black Financial Advisors Network and Mosaic Multicultural Inclusion Network for associates.