Building a future for young people through apprenticeships

At Systemagic we’re incredibly proud to have provided apprenticeships for the past 12 years. Each year we welcome a new apprentice to the team, creating a role on our helpdesk and developing young people (in fact sometimes not young – one of our apprentices had a career change at the age of 30) into skilled and experienced technicians, a practice for which we’re proud to have won multiple awards for!

In line with National Apprenticeship Week which runs from the 8th to the 14th February we sat down with Managing Director, James Eades to discuss the importance of building a future for young people through apprenticeships and how Systemagic have adapted in the past year to support the team.  

Why do you think it’s necessary to support the Apprenticeship scheme?

Now more than ever I think it’s important to give young people an opportunity to kick-start their career and the apprenticeship scheme shows school and college leavers that there’s a viable alternative route to university.   We saw that apprenticeship vacancies reduced during 2020 as the COVID pandemic took hold, so we were pleased to be able to offer two vacancies and will continue to spread the word about how the scheme can benefit business as well as the apprentices. We see Apprenticeships as a way of giving back to the community, not just a way of growing and developing talent.

How did you ensure your Apprentices were supported throughout the Pandemic?

All our apprentices have done very well in adapting to a new method of working, especially being so early on in their careers.  We ensured everyone had the tools they needed to be comfortable at home – including desks and chairs where needed – and have made sure they are always able to communicate with the rest of the team in real time.  We’ve been very open about the challenges and adaptations we’re making as a business and have ensured that our apprentices are given the support they need to continue with their training and studies.   They have rewarded us with numerous exam passes and excellent performance throughout!  We couldn’t be more proud of them.

How did Systemagic adapt during 2020?

We’ve had to temporarily move out of our fun, comfortable and energetic offices and embrace remote working – something all our team were upset about and can’t wait to get back to.  However we decided early on to invest in this new way of working and implemented everything from Mental Health First Aid training to video call etiquette guides, and also made sure we sent the team regular goodies and treats to keep them smiling.   Our core business hasn’t really changed much – we can still deliver remote support regardless of whether we’re at our HQ or working from home, so our main focus has been on maintaining culture and wellbeing.   I absolutely see the pandemic as a mental wellbeing challenge more than a business growth one – people are more important than profit.

If you’re looking for more information on any upcoming Apprenticeship roles here at Systemagic then we’d love to hear from you.

 

Back to our blog