BCN continues to invest in IT apprenticeships

As a growing tech company and MSP, at BCN, it’s our people and expertise that make us different. Our customers stay with us because they know we have the skill set to add value to their business, IT, and tech teams. As a result, we focus hugely on talent attraction and retention across our business, and apprenticeships are a key part of that. As part of National Apprenticeship Week 2023, we want to celebrate our amazing apprentices and highlight the benefits this route brings.

BCN Group invests in an apprenticeship programme

Apprenticeships give BCN the opportunity to recruit switched-on and driven talent that are keen to progress a career in tech. We are building our internal technical experts for the future. In a sector with a skills shortage, this is more important than ever.
We commit to recruiting a number of apprentices each year across tech support and other business areas, such as analyst roles. We work with training providers, QA, who provide support to learners to ensure our apprentices are progressing. At the end of their apprenticeship, apprentices will gain recognised industry qualifications as well as on-the-job practical experience in the industry. Our apprentices commit to us, and we commit to them because we want them to be part of our team for many years.

Meet some of our apprentices:

Ellis Hall, Junior Developer

Ellis joined BCN in 2022 with the Talent and HR team but has since taken a role as an Apprentice Developer.

Why an apprenticeship?

An apprenticeship is the best opportunity to get into the industry I am most interested in.

How has BCN supported you so far?

BCN suggested the apprenticeship to me! I was already working for BCN when the opportunity came along, they were willing to give me a shot to pursue my career dreams because of the hard work I had already put in on the Talent and HR team.

What do you love about your role?

The people are a fantastic and supportive group who will always do what they can to help one another.

Would you recommend an apprenticeship to others?

Yes, the opportunity to learn practical skills and get a real feel for the working world cannot be underestimated. For me, it’s a way to work towards my long-term career aspirations.

Rajan Singh, Former apprentice, now our Service Continuity Manager

Rajan joined BCN Group as an apprentice five years ago and has since progressed quickly within our team.

Why an apprenticeship?

University didn’t suit my style of learning and the apprenticeship offered a great opportunity for practical learning with perks of earning an income whilst gaining qualifications.

How has your career progressed at BCN?

I’ve been able progress my career as a technical engineer whilst gaining other qualifications. With the assistance from BCN, my learning excelled rapidly, and I was quickly promoted to a Support Team Leader. The experience I had throughout this process was exceptional and lead to another job opportunity of being the Service Continuity Manager (a group-based role).

What do you love about your role today?

My current role interlocks with all technical departments giving me great exposure to many areas and wide range of tasks/projects.

• People and environment – great people to work with both technically and personally.
• Problem management – looking at the bigger picture and making things better for our customers and colleagues by adopting processes such as root cause analysis.
• Continuous progression and learning – having great mentors around me Customer interaction – guiding them through their IT services

Would you recommend an apprenticeship route to others?

Yes, 100%. People learn in various ways and this style worked for me. I was able to apply my learning in a practical working day environment as well as learn from the technical experts around me. Thanks to BCN, my career has successfully progressed.

Apprenticeships PLUS the BCN Academy

Hannah Dodson, Talent Acquisition and HR Manager at BCN commented, “It’s amazing to be able to give people the opportunity to develop. We believe that investing in people and giving them the opportunity to shape their own future is fundamental. The BCN Academy is designed to empower our employees to own their own career development, and we provide the tools to enable them to get there. The academy offers a variety of internal and external training along with funding for industry recognised qualifications and accreditations for up-skilling and cross-training employees.”

Looking to start your career in tech via an apprenticeship?

We hope all our apprentices celebrate their amazing journey this week! View our latest apprenticeships and job openings.