TWELVE students have secured ICT apprenticeships.
The new apprentices at Fujitsu have been appointed as part of the firm’s strategy to help boost the local technology talent pipeline and are part of the Department for the Economy’s IT and Telecoms Professional Apprenticeship Programme.
Through the programme, the apprentices, who are studying at Belfast Metropolitan College and the North West Regional College (NWRC), gain a Level 3 apprenticeship or a Higher Level apprenticeship with many successful participants going on to complete a Foundation Degree from the Level 3 course. The latest intake of apprentices will enjoy a revamped programme that includes a focus on emerging trends such as the Internet of Everything and cybersecurity.
Louise Hull, apprentice programme manager at Fujitsu commented: “It’s well known that Northern Ireland is facing a technology talent deficit with the sector expected to create an additional 4,000 jobs in the next ten years. It is therefore essential that we not only inspire the next generation of technologists, but we equip them with the necessary practical and transferrable skills needed to thrive in the fast moving and ever-evolving ICT sector.”