Resellers are flocking to sign up to Micro­soft’s channel apprenticeship scheme, with the first batch of ap­prentices due to start official training this month.

Originally launched in September, the channel-specific National Partner Apprenticeship Scheme,which is part of Microsoft’s Britain Works initiative, aims to skill up 3,000 apprentices over the next two years.

Stephen Uden, head of skills and economic affairs at Microsoft, said: “The response from the channel has been great. We have had 250 partners express an interest so far, and we have 92 apprentices starting their formal training at the end of March.”

Uden said training is taking place in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Slough and Leeds, but it can take place anywhere in the UK – but there must be at least 14 apprentices to a group.

“We are looking to take on as many partners as possible,” added Uden. “So it is not too late to get involved.”

Nick Wiseman, group manager at reseller IS Solutions, said his firm sees the apprentice scheme as a valuable way of recruiting new talent.

“We often recruit people who are fairly raw – in some cases they are new graduates,” he said.

“We see this scheme as an excellent way to get staff and we have had
people work with us for a number of years who have risen to quite senior positions.

I hope Microsoft’s prog­ramme will be ano­ther way to get people to start with us at an early age and end up being valued employees.”

To find out more information about the scheme, email britwork@microsoft.com.