I.T. APPRENTICES ARE CUSTOM MADE

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At a time when the government’s latest figures show that a record 1.02 million 16 to 24 year olds are unemployed in the UK, two local businesses are working together to support young people into training and work by providing them with IT Apprenticeship qualifications and on the job experience.

Zodiac Training, the largest private training provider in the North-East, and The Customs House, the theatre, cinema and arts venue in South Shields, are enabling young, unemployed people from across the region to gain a qualification in IT and Telecoms, get experience in the work place and find a job.

Zodiac have created a custom IT training facility near their Head Office in Team Valley, Gateshead containing the latest IT software and hardware. Young unemployed people are enrolled on an IT and Telcoms Professional Apprenticeship with Zodiac and attend the facility to get practical experience and gain their qualification. During this time they are given an Apprenticeship wage whilst supplying an IT support service to a wide range of businesses across the North East.

John Oliver of Zodiac is one of the trainers delivering the IT Apprenticeship qualification, he said, “The qualification is really hands on. At our IT facility we can recreate PC, server, network errors and so on and train the learners in the use of diagnostic tools and fault finding. It’s isn’t a traditional classroom, they have to get in there and get their hands dirty. It’s not just about fault finding either, we teach the learners how to service IT equipment in a proactive way in order to effectively stop faults before they start. We have 15 people on the programme right now and take on new learners throughout the year so I’d encourage any unemployed young person who is interested in a career in IT to get in touch.”

Zodiac Training IT Apprentices Christopher and Mark Render with Zodiac Marketing Manager Christopher Green

Two young people who did get in touch with Zodiac are brothers Christopher and Mark Render, they joined the Zodiac IT programme in July 2011 and will complete their training and qualification in 2012. During the last 4 months of the programme they have been putting their training into practice one day a week at The Customs House in South Shields. The Custom’s House combines a theatre, cinema, restaurant, art gallery and conference facilities so the boys had their work cut out maintaining, servicing and upgrading the wide-range of IT equipment.

Speaking of his qualification and the IT support he supplies at The Customs House Christopher Render said, “It’s fantastic to be achieving my IT qualification and to be gaining real life experience at The Customs House. The training at Zodiac’s IT centre gave me new skills in hardware, software and networking and the confidence to use them in a work environment. It’s hard for people my age to get proper experience and without experience it’s even harder to find a job so I’m really grateful to The Customs House for giving me this opportunity.”

Christopher’s brother Mark added, “We’re at The Customs House at a great time of the year, it’s panto season right now so the place is buzzing and there’s always something going on and a new IT challenge to work on every time we’re here. It was daunting to be in such a fast moving business at first, but when I’m here I know that my Zodiac tutor is only a phone call away and he’ll support me with any additional help I need.”

Zodiac Training IT Apprentices Christopher and Mark Render outside The Customs House, South Shields

Customs House HR Administrator, Garry Besford looks after the two brothers when they’re working at The Customs House, he believes it is vital to give opportunities to young people like Christopher and Mark, he said, “At the Customs House we’re responsive to the needs of young people and we recognise the high worth of Apprentices – they’re beneficial to us as a business and to the young people we provide opportunities for. In the current climate I think it is crucial for responsible employers to provide opportunities to young people. Working with Zodiac has been extremely positive, they have pre-trained the IT Apprentices to a high standard so there was no risk to us as their technical capabilities had been checked and tested before they came here. The Customs House is always an exciting place to work and even more so at Christmas and I’m very pleased that Christopher and Mark have found their feet so quickly and have been able to make a really positive contribution.”

Zodiac’s Marketing Manager, Christopher Green added, “Government figures released earlier this month showed that a record number of 16-24 year olds are NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) and parts of the North-East were identified as NEET blackspots – this clearly shows that we need to provide the young people of our region with a greater range of opportunities. At Zodiac we’ve developed an innovative way for young people to overcome the two primary barriers to employment – lack of qualifications and lack of experience. We’ve created a blended solution combining academic elements with time spent in a work environment, so our Apprentices get both on the job and off the job experience. The experience Christopher and Mark have gained and the contribution they have made whilst working at The Customs House typifies the benefits of gaining qualifications in this way.”

So what’s next for brothers Christopher and Mark? Mark said, “With the qualification and the experience we have gained, it will certainly be easier to get our foot in the door with employers. Zodiac are helping us with our progression and I’m very excited about what I have learned and about my prospects for the future, things are looking bright.”