IT apprentices - Bringing new ideas and energy

 

Recruited from communities around our Broadgate campus, our latest IT apprentices are bringing new ideas and energy to the team, with their passion to learn. It’s very rewarding to help people develop lifelong skills and shape their careers.

 

 

Helping people out of the chicken and egg scenario

The Group technology team was keen to set up a route for people who want to get into IT but haven’t taken the university path. We’d previously had success with degree-level apprenticeships, so we decided to try a programme for people coming out of school, who often struggle with the chicken and egg scenario of needing experience to get a job but not being able to get experience without a job.

British Land is always looking to make a positive impact in the communities around our places. So, we connected with one of our long-term community partners, the East London Business Alliance, who promoted the opportunity to people living near our Broadgate campus. We were really impressed by the number of high quality candidates in Hackney and Tower Hamlets, keen to come into IT and start their careers.

Creating an extra opportunity

It was such a tough call to shortlist the candidates that we opted to create an extra opportunity, repurposing budget from an existing vacancy to fund a third apprentice instead. Rather than employing an experienced candidate, we recruited on potential, bringing in another apprentice who we are now training up. We believe this is worth more value to our community and our Group technology function.

Apprentices bring new ideas into an organisation, which is always refreshing. It’s interesting to hear the thoughts and viewpoints of people who have a different experience to your own. Even doing the recruitment, I learnt a lot talking with candidates from different areas. We also benefit from the drive and energy of our apprentices, who have a genuine passion to learn. I’ve been surprised at how quickly they’re able to develop and remember new technical skills.

Lifelong skills and careers

We want our apprentices to gain experience across a range of skillsets and functions. This is about developing lifelong skills. Technology skills are transferrable to almost every sector, so we accept that not every apprentice will stay with us long term, but we always try to find them potential positions at the end of their programme, should they wish to stay within British Land, and many of them do.

When our four degree-level apprentices completed their programmes in 2020, three of them took up permanent positions with us, each choosing slightly different routes, which is a success story. They’d all started on a similar track and, as they progressed, identified the direction they wanted to take. It’s rewarding to help people shape their career in this way.

Our junior apprentices are full of curiosity. In talking about networking and the background of our sector, I’ve been asked everything from ‘how do people buy houses?’ to ‘what’s a fax machine?’. We’ve found ourselves talking about life before the internet and why things are the way they are. It’s good to question and keep an open mind.

Investing in apprenticeships

I would strongly encourage any organisation that can afford to invest in apprenticeships to do so. It’s not only the right thing to do, it’s also a good thing. I’d also recommend looking to the local areas where you operate for candidates. Consider every level of apprenticeship too. I’m excited about seeing our latest apprentices completing their programme and where they go next.

By James Axton
Group Technology, British Land