EMPLOYMENT and Learning Minister Stephen Farry has praised the contributions ICT (information and communications technology) academies — such as the Cloud Academy — can bring to the local economy.
The minister was visiting Auto-mated Intelligence (Al) — a Belfast-based software company which has brought a new approach to the information management market — where he met with employee and former Cloud Academy graduate Jonathan Price.
The minister said: “The Cloud Academy, along with similar ICT Academies, are excellent examples of government interventions to improve the skills of unemployed graduates, whilst providing skills that our employers have identified as a requirement for the future and our economy. The academies provide training for graduates with industry recognised qualifications and work experience in preparation for job opportunities in this vibrant growth area. Jonathan is an excellent example of how my department’s Academy model can successfully up skill graduates for employment/. We have a vast wealth of skills and qualifications amongst those graduates who are currently out of work, and the academy model is an extremely effective way of harnessing those skills.”
Jonathan, who had previously worked in the hospitality industry both here and in Europe, was one of 14 Cloud Academy participants trained with the skills and accredited qualifications identified by IT sector employers for new career opportunities in the growing area of Cloud Technology.
He completed 15 weeks at Belfast Metropolitan College achieving the HP Accredited Technical Associate qualification, followed by a six-week work placement with Automated Intelligence.
Following this placement, Jonathan secured employed as an IT support engineer with the company. Mark Godfrey, CEO of Auto-mated Intelligence, hailed the importance of the scheme and highlighted the benefits it has brought the company.
“The Cloud Academy has been a fantastic opportunity for us to bring in someone from a different industry to fill an integral role in the team,” he said.
“We are a growing software company which focuses on innovation, and to do this we need to constantly bring in new talent.”