Welsh minister hails CGI investment

Systems integrator says it has created 500 jobs in Bridgend just 18 months into government-backed programme

CGI's creation of 500 jobs in South Wales has been hailed as a "significant boost" for the local economy by the Welsh government.

The consulting giant is "well ahead of schedule" in its programme to create 620 jobs in the region, which was launched in 2014 with backing from the Welsh government, Welsh economy minister Edwina Hart said.

Just 18 months into the programme, 500 new jobs have been created in Bridgend, CGI announced.

The new roles include service desk analysts, technical design architects, project management, security specialists and network engineers. CGI, which is a $10bn-revenue (£7bn) firm following its 2012 takeover of Logica, said the posts are critical in delivering services to the public and commercial sectors.

"This is excellent news and a significant boost for the local economy while opening up a wide range of career opportunities for people in the region," Hart said.

At the same time, CGI said it is also pumping more than £1m into improving its Bridgend offices.

Tim Gregory, president of CGI UK, said: "I am delighted to welcome over 500 new highly skilled and talented members to the CGI team in Bridgend. This is a significant milestone in our recruitment programme to enable our growth plans and development of new offerings to our clients. Our relationship with the Welsh Government has assisted in recruiting these roles and we are well on track working with them to deliver our ambitious growth plans."