It already uses 'Metaverse' technology as a training tool in its SJP Academy to allow trainee advisers to interact with virtual clients, including those with vulnerabilities.

Now it has partnered with The Podcast Guys to produce a four-part video podcast series called Journey to the Metaverse.

The Metaverse is an online community which combines virtual reality and augmented reality to allow people to engage with each other online as they would in real life.

Nicki Finnigan, head of digital learning and development at St James’s Place, said: “We are constantly exploring and expanding our use of digital technologies to enhance learning within the business and for SJP’s partners and new advisers, whether it is industry-leading VR experiences, Netflix-style box set learning programmes accessed at people’s convenience or working with experts across the industry.”  

She said the new podcast series has given the company a chance to highlight how it is using 'immersive technology' to create new ways of working and interacting with each other.

She added: “Digital tech is inspiring new ways of learning and thinking, and this discussion of new technology and immersive experiences helps to highlight how this knowledge can be applied to the corporate and educational world.”

The series includes an episode constructed in the custom-made, SJP-branded VR campus created to enhance visual learning, with features from virtual coffees to a helicopter and a green-themed atrium, including its own waterfall wall.

Episode one of the series looks at immersive technology, clarifying terminology and educating people on how it is being used in everyday life, how it is developing and where it is heading.

The second episode considers the roots and history of Virtual Reality, including key hardware such as Oculus Quest 2 headsets and exploring how it can be applied in different settings.

Episode three looks to the future, exploring the current, planned and potential applications of Immersive Tech, with its growing implementation in different industries and sectors across the corporate world.

The final video episode is a visual journey exploring the Metaverse – how it works, where it is heading and its implications for the future of the workplace – from inside the Virtual Reality headset. It includes a virtual interview with Abid Hussain from the ENGAGE platform used by SJP.

Hosted in the SJP Metaverse campus, it highlights how social connections can made within virtual realities, bringing people and businesses together to accelerate growth and performance.

The series is available on Spotify.