For many species the job of survival is extremely tough because predators or even their own kind are trying to make a meal out of them. Male alligators will eat their own young if they can get near them and a grizzly will savage another bear to get at its kill in tough times.
With the average age in the financial services industry hovering in the high 50s, there is a critical need for new and younger representatives to reach our growing population. Continuity of service depends on finding a crop of younger agents.
In the past, most major carriers had some form of recruitment plan to get new hires into the profession. The emphasis was on recruiting new people who hadn't previously been in financial services. The expectation was that it was an investment and might take some time to get them trained.
All of that has changed, however. These days,it seems that the majority of the effort focuses on hiring experienced agents who are already producing. This means fewer resources spent on training and more left for acquisition. In short, these efforts are cannibalizing the industry.
That isn't illegal or necessarily immoral, but I submit it is exacerbating the problem of the dearth of younger, new agents. It is a closed-loop scenario where natural attrition drains the pool.
At least one major, old line carrier has a new agent training program designed around the Life Underwriter Training Council courses. At the conclusion of their company training, new agents have also completed the requirements for the LUTCF designation.
Training of that nature provides an excellent grounding in the basics and helps those who are new to the industry,but it doesn't address the age issue. New or apprised methods may be needed to rectify that.
At one point in time, internships were widely used to allow new prospects to gain exposure to the industry before making the career leap. In some cases, this was phone calling, filing and administrative tasks in the office. In others, especially around colleges and universities, various forms of licensure and compensation allowed new agents to actually begin selling and earning income.