Having long recognised the countless benefits of diversification within its UK employee base, global IT firm CGI has reaped the rewards of implementing successful and innovative graduate apprenticeship courses

 

THERE is increasing recognition that a diverse workforce is a key driver of a successful business, leading to more innovation and efficient ways of working.

This is acknowledged by global IT and business consulting services firm CGI and it is one reason it introduced a graduate apprenticeship programme a few years ago.

Those chosen for the four year degree apprenticeship are given a permanent contract from the first day and attend university on day release, embedding what they have learned on live projects with CGI clients.

Graduate apprentices who have already completed their courses have achieved excellent grades, with 2:1s and firsts being the norm. It is an alternative route for those who otherwise would be unable, or might not want, to take the traditional university route.

“We want to make sure we are giving opportunities to people who might not otherwise have them,” explained Maria Whittingham, Early Careers Recruitment Specialist at CGI. 

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“We are making sure the opportunities are there for students from every type of background and who may have different learning styles and may benefit from pairing university learning with real life, practical experience. 

“Not everybody learns in the same way so this is more inclusive for some people in terms of the way they learn as they can do so on the job.”

As well as benefiting those who would not usually take the traditional university route, the company sees the programme as a way of growing its own talent.

“We want to make sure we are investing in the talent of the future,” said Ms Whittingham.  “While it gives the apprentices a brilliant opportunity to progress their careers, it also allows us widen our perspectives and viewpoints because we have more diversity.”

CGI has been taking apprentices on in the UK since 2007, starting off in England, then setting up modern apprenticeships in Scotland around 2012. As the apprenticeship model has developed in Scotland, CGI has shifted the majority of its apprenticeship intake to graduate apprentices and there are currently eight in Scotland.

They are permanently employed from the first day and continue working for the company once they graduate with their Bachelor of Science degrees from either the programme at Glasgow Caledonian University or the course at Napier University in Edinburgh.

Both are honours programmes, with Glasgow Caledonian’s Software Development for Business course geared more towards technology while Napier’s is an IT Management for Business degree.

Also a full four year degree course, the latter is a hybrid between IT and business modules so ideal for those that have an interest in technology but want to focus on the business side of things.

“It gives you really good knowledge of IT but also teaches key skills around consultancy, project management and other aspects of business,” explained Ms Whittingham.

“The apprentices are at university one day a week and spend the other four at CGI so they are working on live projects in our offices in Scotland and pairing their learning at university with real world industry experience.”
The format of the course at Glasgow Caledonian is similar but the course itself is more focused on technology and is ideal for a career as a software developer. 

“It gives you everything you need to know about technology and software and you will be in a technology role at CGI, putting that all into practice,” said Ms Whittingham.

This course is designed to equip software developers and engineers with agile project management skills and the knowledge, understanding and skills to become an effective, industry-focused, software development professional.

During the programmes, the apprentices have the chance to try out different roles and work on different client projects so they can “find their fit” within the company.

“It gives the opportunity to progress your career in the direction you want to take it and we have found them to be really successful programmes,” said Ms Whittingham.

At the moment the company is recruiting for three more graduate apprentices to begin this autumn and is also hoping to take on around 30 graduates this year.

“For those people interested in the traditional route of going to university, we offer graduate opportunities for when they finish their degrees,” Ms Whittingham said.

“We tend to offer business graduate opportunities which typically lead into roles like project management or business analysis.  We accept people from all degree disciplines as long as they have that interest in the IT industry.  

She added: “There are also technical graduate opportunities for people with an interest in IT, software development and software testing.  

“For these roles we accept graduates from all degree disciplines but they do need to show some evidence of skills like programming. 

“We usually find that people with STEM degrees go for the technology posts but, equally in the past, we have had people from other degree backgrounds that have developed an interest and passion for programming in their own time and we provide all the training they need when they join the company.”

Training and development continues once a graduate joins the company and there are plenty of opportunities for career progression, with online learning programmes and personal development plans.

“We plan to continue to invest in the talent in Scotland,” said Ms Whittingham.