The (IT Professional) Apprentice

The old Catch 22 situation of not having experience nor having anyone who is wiling to provide that experience still exists today as it did when I stated work.  If I reverse that argument every company in the current economic climate could argue that there is no budget to train staff so we have to recruit experienced staff.  This results in companies having the additional worry that if they do train staff, they will loose staff to their competitors once that employee has enough experience. The statistics bear this corporate behaviour out -  a massive 88% of UK companies don’t have a formal work experience program.

Microsoft solution to this dilemma is the Britain Works  initiative with the aim of getting 500,000 more people into IT by 2012.  A year in the scheme has worked for 104,000 so not quite on track but making a difference to quite a few people. The scheme now has a special section Young Britain Works offering advice and apprenticeships.  There are training vouchers for IT Professionals to cross train or upgrade their skills as well as sections for Start-ups for charities who are interested in the program. Social Media is also important to connect al of this so you’ll find Britain Works on @britainworks on Twitter and there are groups on LinkedIn and Facebook.

I realise it’s not always possible to do this in a partner or small business, but can I at least ask you to take a look and possibly connect with some of the candidates on here who are looking to work in our IT industry