1000th Digital apprentice completes training with BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT Professionals.

6 Feb 2019 02:26 PM

A software developer from Lloyds Banking Group is the 1000th digital apprentice to have successfully completed her final professional assessment through BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.

Annette Allmark, Head of Apprenticeships at BCS and Hannah Surry 1000th Digital Apprentice.

20-year old Hannah Surry gained a distinction in her Level 3 Software Development Technician apprenticeship in January and was presented with a commemorative trophy from BCS at a special ceremony held during the National Future of Apprenticeships Conference 2019 on 5th February.

Annette Allmark, Head of Apprenticeships at BCS yesterday said:

“Unknown to Hannah, not only did she do fabulously well in achieving a distinction grade, she also made us incredibly proud by being the 1000th apprentice to be assessed by BCS.

“As the leading professional body for IT in the UK, we have been central to helping drive the new digital apprenticeships.

“This is a significant milestone for BCS because we have one very clear aim - to design a brighter digital future for everyone.

“Apprenticeships play a critical role in helping to address IT and digital skills shortages, so every single one of these 1000 apprentices will make a positive contribution to the profession.”

At a time when government figures show that 72% of large companies and 49% of SMEs are suffering a tech skills gap, the need for good quality digital apprenticeships is crystal clear.

For Hannah, she yesterday said the appeal of an apprenticeship was on-the-job training:

“This apprenticeship allowed me to gain valuable experience straight away, putting me ahead of those who went down other routes such as university. 

“It has enabled me to get involved in real life projects, with time scales and budgets, all whilst learning about the IT industry.”

One of the challenges faced in the IT industries is the relative lack of women as just 17% of the technology workforce is female in the UK.  

However, Hannah yesterday said she does believe this could change over time:

“I’m proud to be a woman in the industry. At Lloyds Banking Group I have always felt well integrated into the team and feel they treat me no differently

“In the future, there may be more women taking up jobs in the industry which I believe is flexible and provides both challenges and opportunities.

“The industry is likely to see more and more women enter due to the efforts to increase the number of girls taking technical subjects at school.”

Richard Mason, Future Skills Lead, Group Transformation at Lloyds Banking Group yesterday said apprenticeships are a great way of bringing a range of people into the workforce:

“Apprentices give us a fantastic opportunity to recruit great colleagues in an inclusive and diverse way. 

“As part of our Helping Britain Prosper Plan, we have made a public commitment to recruit 8000 apprentices by 2020 so we can encourage people to learn new skills.

“This brings a fresh perspective into the organisation as well as ensuring our colleagues better represent our customer base.”

BCS works with over one hundred training providers. Hannah’s training provider was Firebrand and its Managing Director, Stefano Capaldo yesterday said:

“We really appreciate how effectively the new standards are now delivering skills to meet the employers’ increasing need for digital understanding and capability.

“We look forward to continuing our partnership with BCS to make sure more companies develop employees as accomplished as Hannah.”