The countrywide challenge to help fill the UK’s technology skills gap was launched in June this year at a prestigious event in central London.
Last year, QA Apprenticeships achieved the milestone of placing 5,000 new apprentices into the UK’s IT and technology industry in just five years. The company’s 10KinTech initiative set the target of placing another 5,000 by summer 2016.
TV legend and CEO of TeenTech CIC, Maggie Philbin, said: “It’s really encouraging to see what QA is achieving through 10KinTech. We all know there is a huge demand for young people with the right skills for contemporary industry, but not enough parents and teachers realise that a high quality IT apprenticeship is an extremely valuable career route.
“I’ve been so impressed by the quality of apprentices I’ve met: confident, articulate young people who are enthusiastic, highly committed and excited about their prospects. They have a significant advantage not only in developing technical skills but also being in the right place to make the most of the opportunities emerging in the industry.”
The 10KinTech initiative supports the Government’s plan to create three million apprenticeships across the UK by 2020. It has already galvanised support of heavyweights such as British Gas, EE, HP, and Microsoft, where the Early in Career Programme Manager, Jacqui Lloyd said: “This is great news for, not only QA Apprenticeships, but also the entire UK technology sector. We congratulate QA on this brilliant achievement, and Microsoft look forward to welcoming more QA apprentices into the business this year as part of our commitment to 10KinTech.”
