A scheme to recruit would-be undergraduates as employees
and fund them through a BA degree course has been launched by IT
services firm LogicaCMG.
The move is aimed at tackling recruitment problems in the IT
services industry.
Charlie Painter, operations director for LogicaCMG’s UK telecoms
division, said, “What is becoming apparent is the graduate
marketplace is changing. There are fewer graduates coming through,
and our market, IT services, isn’t as attractive as five or six
years ago. We are not seeing the cream any more. We wanted to try
something different.”
Under the scheme, which will be run by the telecoms division, an
initial cohort of 20 young people with good A-levels or comparable
qualifications, will join the company as paid full-time
employees.
They will be released for one day a week for three years to
complete a specially tailored BA (Hons) degree in Management
(Information Technology) at the University of Winchester.
Painter said Winchester had been chosen because it offered a
more “business-centric” rather than purely technology-focused
degree. Logica will also provide some of the content for course
modules.
The recruits are expected to remain with Logica for three years
after graduation – or repay the cost of the degree course.
Painter said the scheme aimed to produce graduates more fitted
to working in the industry. After three years, the firm would have
staff with more “self-discipline and business nous” than raw
graduates from traditional degree courses, he said.
“One of the reasons we are doing this is that we can train
people in our way of doing things. We get a long run at them and we
should get more out of them.”
On their working days, the recruits will be placed in projects
in areas such as testing, configuration of applications and project
administration.
“They will get a taste of life in various practices and at the
end of the three years, they can choose where to specialise,”
Painter said.
The recruits will be paid around £13,000 a year and will receive
staff benefits and a laptop computer, as well as having their
course fees paid. After three years, they could expect a rise to
“slightly above the fresh graduate salary”, reflecting their higher
value to the company, Painter said.
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