Archway to success
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orking for Google, Facebook, The Guardian or Barclays is something many young people dream about. But it’s actually within reach. These top brands are just four of the 75 employers that offer apprenticeships to more than 250 young people through Arch Apprentices. Backed by the government’s apprenticeship programme, Arch Apprentices is part of the Agilisys Group [specialists in IT and business process outsourcing], so it knows a thing or two about what employers are looking for. And because the apprenticeships it offers are entry-
We find out how Arch Apprentices is opening new doors for young people looking for IT and digital jobs
level, Arch does its best to get candidates ready for the world of work through training sessions, run in partnership with companies such as HP and Microsoft. It’s a model that seems to be paying off. According to Arch, 90 per cent of its apprentices go into fulltime employment after finishing their apprenticeship. As well as the likes of Google, Arch works with companies include digital marketing agencies, publishers, e-tailers (online retailers), IT firms, tech companies, charities and public bodies to arrange apprenticeships. These apprenticeships in turn fall under one of several “frameworks” or roles: digital marketing, IT and business analyst, IT
technician, web design, business admin and customer service. But what’s it actually like to be part of an Arch apprenticeship? Techmix spoke to three young people at different stages of their apprenticeship: one who has just started, one who’s coming to the end and another who’s finished and been offered a full-time job. Well done, Andy! archapprentices.co.uk
Andrew Lobel, 20 Position: Junior Web Developer Company: Contentive, a digital publisher and multimedia marketing agency with a clear focus on content marketing. Apprentice framework: Level 3 IT apprenticeship, web development pathway. Started apprenticeship: January 2013. Once he finished, Andy was kept on as a full-time member of staff. What does your role involve? “My day-to-day responsibilities include front-end and back-end web development on websites for clients, database administration, search engine optimisation and general troubleshooting.” What has the apprenticeship programme done for you? “The apprenticeship has really helped me craft my skills and transform them into something that can be taken into any junior web developer role. I would never have imagined myself carrying out important projects if it wasn’t for this apprenticeship. Everyone at Contentive is really friendly and they have helped me greatly in getting to where I am today.”
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