In July 2015 we set ourselves a target, and that target was to place 10,000 apprentices into a tech career by 2016. It felt like a phenomenal challenge at the time but one we all set our sights on, and with the support of our clients, the commitment of our apprentices and a lot of hard work, we’ve done it!
On 18th August (A-level results day) we celebrated this incredible milestone and presented Erik Haxhilari – Cisco apprentice and our 10,000th apprentice in tech – with an award to mark this achievement.
Commenting on the achievement Ben Pike, Director, QA Apprenticeships said,
“We passionately believe in the positive impact that our apprentices are having in their IT, Tech and Digital roles and we are proud to reach the significant milestone of placing 10,000 apprentices into this key sector. We are thankful to the 1,500 employers, industry partners and our outstanding staff who have supported our 10kintech campaign and have enabled our Ofsted Outstanding programmes to fast-track the careers of so many young people.”
The government set itself a target of delivering 3 million apprentices by 2020 and the apprenticeship levy (which comes into effect in April 2017) is intended to encourage large businesses to employ a greater number of apprentices. These factors are leading to increased demand for students to start an apprenticeship and so our #10kintech initiative was intended to positively contribute to the number of apprentices in employment and to raise awareness of the great and exciting opportunities that an apprenticeship can offer to young people.
Minister of State for Digital and Culture Matt Hancock showed his support for this initiative commenting that, "The UK’s digital economy is the largest and fastest growing in the G20 and employs more than 1.4 million people. It's vital that our workforce is properly equipped with the necessary skills, and QA has done an incredible job in training 10,000 apprentices to date. These digital experts will provide a welcome boost to British business and help power the nation's continuing economic growth.”
About QA Apprenticeships
QA Apprenticeships provide IT, tech and business apprenticeships. The first IT apprenticeships business to be graded Ofsted ‘Outstanding’, their apprenticeship programmes were described as “world-class”. QA’s programmes blend high-quality training with real-world experience in the workplace, and are designed to upskill local talent with training relevant to their job roles. Their wide range of programmes include industry-recognised qualifications and accreditations from City & Guilds, Microsoft, CompTIA, ACA and the APM.