Microsoft unveils apprentice scheme

The six-month course will include days at the partner's premises

Microsoft is looking to skill up 3,000 channel apprentices over the next two years as it seeks to rejuvenate the UK IT workforce.

The software giant launched its ‘Britain Works’ initiative last week, backed by all of the three main political parties, The Job Centre and Lord Digby Jones, with the channel-specific National Partner Apprenticeship Scheme also part of
the initiative.

Stephen Uden, head of skills and economic affairs at Microsoft, told CRN: “We think we can get as many as 3,000 channel apprentices through the programme. It is a great, low-risk way for partners to be able to take on new people, initially in the tech support space.”

Uden said that partners signing up to the scheme can choose a suitable apprentice from a line-up, before they undertake a six-month intensive training course, spending selected days at the partner’s premises, and the rest of the time training for their Microsoft certification. At the end of the six months, partners are then left with a fully trained member of staff.

“The IT sector is going to be one of the few that leads the recovery,” added Uden.

“It is a win for partners and shows the value of our partner model. We are also looking at extending this to other areas outside technical support in the future. We are hopeful that plenty of our partners will see the benefits of getting involved.”

Andy Dent, managing director of Microsoft partner Innovit.co.uk, which took part in a pilot scheme, said his first apprentice had been such a success that it had taken on a second already.

“I would recommend getting involved for several reasons,” he said. “First, the people that become an apprentice want the work and take it really seriously. Second, the training they get is very relevant to our industry and, finally, the apprentice is not only getting technical training, but they are being embedded into our processes as well.”