Whitebox Digital IT Apprenticeships

IT Apprenticeships

WhiteboxDigitalIT WEBSITES ACADEMY

Tackling unemployment through IT Apprenticeships

TRAINING ACADEMY

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Regardless of social disadvantage, we provide all the support, education and personalisation needed to enable those looking for a career in IT to begin with an equal chance as others on the same career path. Our recruitment emphasis is on commitment, enthusiasm and a willingness to embrace new skills.

No ordinary training academyExperiencing social disadvantage can have long term effects on the ability to get and keep a job. Our business model enables apprentices to become our colleagues, everyone is asked to share knowledge and experience with one another and, as colleagues, apprentices receive excellent teaching and guidance.

Tackling social problemsApprentices learn the importance of community engagement through modelling our social enterprise approach to business. Supported all the way apprentices learn teamwork, and the value of commitment to tackling social problems through volunteering.

More than ITThere is vast opportunity to develop skills in this Apprenticeship, for example: focus, maturity, flexibility, confidence, self esteem, work place behaviour, self directed study, team work, time management, accountability, peer support, friendship and workplace experience, all this can be gained alongside industry recognised qualifications.


Ethos and Approach

www.whiteboxdigital.com/academy

“Jack graduated from University with a degree in music and expected life to take off from the day of her graduation. Unfortunately despite trying hard, Jack was unable to get a job and found herself on Job Seekers Allowance for 8 months. Jack explains ‘It feels self destructive, it made me wonder why I went to university, and what the point was. Life was on pause, getting this job has enabled my life to be on ‘play’ again! This Apprenticeship offers IT, administration and community work – all the things I am interested in, it’s almost tailor made!”

Jack

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Microsoft Advanced IT Training Academy

“There is a global need for people highly skilled in Microsoft technologies, and Microsoft Certifications are the credentials you need to impress employers, there are many success stories.“Microsoft 2010

Tackling unemployment through IT Apprenticeshipswww.whiteboxdigital.com/academy

Whitebox Digital is an accredited Microsoft Advanced IT Training Academy. It can provide all the specialist training, exams and certification needed to enable apprentices to begin a long term career.

Careers in IT are competitive. Candidates need to distinguish themselves from other job seekers as much as possible, and having current, numerous Microsoft certifications on a CV shows potential employers that the candidate has what it takes to qualify for an IT career. The third-party verification that Microsoft certification offers is an appealing indicator to hiring managers.

If during the Apprenticeship an apprentice decides they do not want to be an IT Technician their training will focus on ‘Business Working’ – becoming a certified expert in Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook and PowerPoint. They will also receive project management, client services and sales training.

During training we work with apprentices to identify strengths and provide opportunities to work in different departments of our business, combining skills development with on the job experience.

“I am motivated towards my future and workingwith Whitebox Digital. It made me think what I can achieve with my future if I put my all into my work.”

Hassan

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IT is increasingly a core component within every workplace and requirements for IT Support technicians are increasing. e-skills UK (UK Sector Skills Council) forecast that technology occupation growth will be on average 4 times greater than the rest of the economy for the coming decade.

Based on this forecast, the qualifications achieved on this Apprenticeship are relevant to today’s marketplace. The Apprenticeship is designed to fit into a constantly evolving market, ensuring apprentices have transferable, sustainable skills, empowering them to achieve long term work goals.

The 6 month Apprenticeship offers the opportunity for people who have been socially disadvantaged in the past, to prove they have the commitment and ability to develop technological, personal and social skills to perform effectively within the workforce.

Specific and transferable Microsoft accredited qualifications are achieved. Mentoring, support, education and training on workplace and community behaviour are built into the Apprenticeship from day 1.

IT Apprenticeship

“Digital technology is the single biggest lever for productivity and competitiveness across every sector of the economy, it will underpin the majority of future job creation in western economies”(2010) e-skills Cultural Skill/Strategic Skills Assessment for the Digital Economy


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The Journey


Digital Literacy Certificate

Microsoft Word Application Specialist

1 Exam

CompTIA Strata PC Functionality

1 Exam

CompTIA Network+1 Exam

Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician

1 Exam

Microsoft PowerPoint Application Specialist

1 Exam

Project Management, Client Services and Sales

Business Worker

IT Support Technician

STAR

T

Microsoft Excel Application Specialist

1 Exam

CompTIA A+ Computer Maintenance

2 Exams

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Every organisation, regardless of size, depends greatly on their use of IT to help them create and deliver their products and services. The need for trained IT support technicians has never been greater.

As a trained IT Support Technician, apprentices may solve hardware and software issues for customers, educate users on hardware and software procedures and install, configure and upgrade hardware and software.

Microsoft and CompTIA certifications are recognised worldwide, they offer technical credibility and putting technical skills into practice offers job satisfaction, enhancing confidence, proficiency and career prospects tackle social problems.

Having these qualifications enables a competitive edge when entering the field of IT and enhances the chances of a long term career.

Business Worker

IT Support Technician

In today’s workplace, it is essential that business workers are skilled at using software such as Microsoft Office.

Employers rely on their staff to use Microsoft Office to its full potential to get the most out of their software investment and help them meet their business objectives.

With Microsoft Certified Application Specialist apprentices can prove they are experts in using the latest Microsoft Office programmes.

Certification can help differentiate apprentices in today’s competitive job market and broaden trainees employment opportunities by displaying their advanced skills.


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Whitebox Digital is committed to working together with government, charities, businesses and social enterprises to tackle social problems. This approach is reflected throughout every aspect of our work and forms part of the Apprenticeship.

Too often in life individuals move forward in their careers forgetting their history and the opportunities that enabled their progression. Whitebox Digital encourages apprentices to engage with their community as they progress through their career and to recognise and tackle community problems.

On completion of each qualification stage apprentices are asked to offer a week of their paid employment to a charity. Often this week involves supporting community events such as fêtes and family days, other times it has involved building community gardens. The week is coordinated by Whitebox Staff, many of whom have come through the Apprenticeship.

There are a total of 6 ‘In the Community’ weeks forming part of each apprentices journey with Whitebox Digital. This opportunity offers personal and social development including team work, citizenship, the importance and value of community engagement, enjoyment, friendship building and fun!

In the Community

“I love working for Whitebox Digital. My role enables me to work amongst a community of hard-working individuals who have been given a chance to prove themselves on the Apprenticeship. I really cherish how change can be made just by giving people a chance to believe in themselves, and I am so grateful to be working for a company that holds these values at its core!”

Adam, In the Community Coordinator


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Feedback


“I really enjoyed the ‘Getting to know you’ workshop. It’s really nice to meet new people and listen to what others have been through in their life, whether it be good or bad. Although I find these types of tasks hard, once I had done it I felt a lot more relaxed and at ease with the group.”

Adam

“I found the presentation informative and personally inspirational in that it proved the point that it’s possible to reach personal potential despite lack of educational support during your childhood.”

Rob

“It was great seeing David Barker and fellow members for the preparation and I greatly appreciated the provision of email addresses. It really helped to make me feel like a member of Whitebox Digital. The preparation and training went very well for me and I was soon starting the Digital Literacy training.”

Robin

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“The first workshop was a good way to break the ice between the trainees and gave some insight into some peoples’ experiences, and what had led them up to this point, this further helped people to relate, as it opened my eyes that others with me that day had similar experiences, whether good or bad.”

Michael

“This workshop helped me a lot to understand about how different religions view life and how easily people can get put into categories just by the colour of their skin”

Oliver

“I noticed how many of us including myself were deeply inspired and touched by what David had gone through and accomplished. It goes to show if you put your mind to anything, you can actually achieve it and you will always face difficulties, which you have to overcome yourself.”

Asim

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23 years ago, David Barker was 16 and Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET). Now he runs Whitebox Digital to give disadvantaged people the training and job opportunities he worked so hard for.

My journey began 23 years ago when I was 15 years old and living in a poor community in Manchester. It’s a place of high unemployment and lack of opportunity. I knew I had to leave school at 16 because my family couldn’t afford for me to go to college and I had to try and get work. I visited the careers advisor at my school and, before I even spoke, he said ‘for people like you who drop out of education and come from where you live these are your opportunities’. The options he offered me were retail and construction and nothing else. These are good industries and career options, but I felt my future was in a different place.

Asking what I wanted to do, I said ‘I think one day everybody in the world will have a computer, every business will have a computer and the whole world will be connected in a way that’s never been done before’. This was 23 years ago when computers were big machines and the careers advisor looked at me as if to say ‘how can you think you’ll be part of this with no education’. So I left school with no support and became what we now call NEET.

I knew if I was going to have the career I aspired to I would have to help myself, so I learned basic computer skills and eventually found a small business that looked beyond my dropping out of education at 16 to take me on for a two year Apprenticeship linked to what was then a government programme called YTS (Youth Training Scheme). With the chance to prove my abilities and potential, after three months I was taken off the Apprenticeship and made a full-time employee.

Seven years later, in 1994, I co-founded one of the UK’s first internet marketing companies and spent the next ten years working with large technology companies globally, helping them sell their products and services. However, I knew the systemic barriers that blocked my way out of poverty when I was 16 were still there, so decided to leave the corporate sector and create a new type of business – one that would focus its growth on helping people out of unemployment and poverty.

And that’s where we are today—creating IT Apprenticeships to set people free from systemic barriers that keep them in unemployment, to have the careers they were told would never happen. Just like I was told 23 years ago.

In the press


David Barker, Founder

[email protected]

http://www.twitter.com/d_barker

The bottom line: Digital solutions to unemployment 11 February 2010

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EligibilityTrainees do not need to have previous IT experience or particular skills to be part of our Apprenticeship – we look for an attitude and aspiration to become an apprentice of Whitebox Digital and a willingness to work hard on our programme.

Purchasing ApprenticeshipsWhitebox Digital would be delighted to discuss the purchase of our Apprenticeship programme for any number of candidates, we can also provide bespoke programmes on request.

Already running Apprenticeships nationally our business model enables us to open in any city or town quickly, no matter how large, small, rural or remote.

Contact usIf you are interested in hearing more about our Apprenticeships please contact our Apprenticeship team on 0844 669 7614.

Alternatively email [email protected]

Next Steps


“Before I joined Whitebox I was on job seekers allowance for just over 6 months. It was a low point for me as I had graduated from University the previous summer thinking I would be able to walk into a job and instead was disappointed with the lack of relevant jobs available. I decided to look towards my interest in computing and as a result joined the training programme with Whitebox Digital. Knowing that in 6 months you can go from job seekers to becoming a trained IT technician is an amazing feeling and the idea that you are on the path to achieving something is great motivation.”

Robin

WhiteboxDigitalIT WEBSITES ACADEMY


TRAINING ACADEMY

If you are interested in hearing more about our Apprenticeships please contact our Apprenticeship team on 0844 669 7614.

Alternatively email [email protected]

www.whiteboxdigital.com/academy

© 2010 Whitebox Digital.

71-0038 06-10

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Whitebox Digital IT Apprenticeships