You're Hired! Apprentice Joins Award-winning IT Team

You're Hired! Apprentice Joins Award-winning IT Team

Not quite as gruelling as Sir Alan Sugar's selection process, nevertheless the young hopefuls had to complete a detailed application form, undergo a range of tests and be interviewed by a panel.

Head of IT, Louise Cope, said: "Our IT team delivers high quality, efficient and value for money services. We have been rated as one of the top places to work in IT and the team is currently a finalist in the Chartered Institute of Housing’s Housing Heroes award, so it was really important that we got the right person to join us."

23-year-old Martyn already has a degree in Computer Science from Birmingham University and hopes to become a systems analyst. He says "I'm currently learning from the team all the time. I have been amazed by the technology used here, some of it I'd never even heard of, it's really state of the art. In the autumn they will send me back to Uni to do a Cisco networking course so that I qualify as a technician. This is a great opportunity."

Housing Plus Chief Executive Debbie Griffiths said: "Our Apprenticeship Scheme allows us to grow our own workforce and talent. The up-to-the-minute skills, energy and new ideas they bring to the business help us to deliver continuous service improvements to our customers."

Martyn is the latest recruit in a long line of apprentices at Housing Plus, but the first in IT.  The company is proud of the fact that it has retained its previous apprentices, including Corgi plumber Richard Allen and carpenter Paul Green, who both completed their training in 1998. It is now looking at which other areas of the business are suitable for trainee and apprentice positions.