This week saw us invite the employers taking part in our Software Developer Apprenticeship Programme to our assessment day so that they could meet some of our hopeful candidates face-to-face.
What happened on the day?
After getting to know each other a little better through some fun icebreaker sessions, the candidates then took part in group tasks. These tasks were designed to not only test the applicant’s coding ability but also their ability to work in a team as well as their creativity, aptitude for public speaking and problem-solving abilities.
We’re happy to say the day was a success. Candidates from wide-range of backgrounds and experiences came together to meet with companies such as Auto Trader, BookingGo, Sainsbury’s, BJSS, Werkin, Co-op Digital and Sigma and we’re delighted to confirm that we’ve already had employers follow up on candidates they met on the day.
It’s pleasing to see that there’s a lot of interest from candidates in pursuing a career in tech. Even more encouraging is the fact that employers are seeing the benefits of investing time and resources into our apprentice programme and have returned year-on-year.
We’d like to thank the employers who have come along and made today possible. It’s essential to the region’s digital ecosystem to have a skilled and diverse talent pipeline – which is exactly why we created our industry-led apprenticeship scheme in the first place, as you can read here.
Feedback
The organisation has been excellent, the whole thing is very drilled and we’re impressed with the level of candidates on show – it’s so nice to see young, talented people wanting to make a difference.
BookingGo is involved with Manchester Digital’s apprenticeship programme because, as a global business that requires a lot of talent, it’s important to grow correctly, from the foundations right to the top. That makes this scheme very attractive for a business the size of ours. - James Price, BookingGo.
It’s been good to listen to the introductions from each of the candidates and see how they work together. I think there’s a really good mix of candidates. Ideally, we’re looking for someone with a good grounding in coding and there’s clearly a good selection out of the candidates here today. - Craig McConkey, Werkin
I’ve enjoyed the atmosphere, it’s been fantastic. Everyone has been really friendly and I’ve met some great people. You know it works as there are apprentices from previous year’s here observing on behalf of the employers that took them on. I’ve learned that some of these firms are interested in python – so there are always new skills I could do with knowing. Natalie Hyde-Wilkins, Assessment Day Candidate
If you would like to know how to apply to be on our apprenticeship scheme click here, or if you’re an employer looking to improve the tech talent in your organisation visit this page.
Alternatively, you can email emma@manchesterdigital.com for more information.
