Nationwide Building Society has today announced the opening of applications for its first apprenticeships to be delivered in partnership with Swindon’s new Institute of Technology (IoT).
The Society is recruiting apprentice roles in a range of tech-related areas including cybersecurity, software development and DevOps, offering more opportunities for people to start new careers in technology.
The IoT will be based on the New College North Star Campus, Swindon, and has been developed in partnership with local employers to deliver timely, relevant, and industry-based STEM learning to its students. It will offer a mixture of remote and face-to-face learning to students and aims to bring new career opportunities to the region, with the aim of educating more than 1,000 people within five years of opening.
Patrick Eltridge, Nationwide’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “These apprenticeships show what can be achieved when local businesses, government and education institutions come together to reimagine STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education in this country. It was why Nationwide, alongside other local organisations, worked so hard to bring the IoT to Swindon in the first place. It is the latest step in our early careers technology strategy – which has already seen us partner with the likes of Code Club, Tech She Can and the National Centre for Computing Education to improve the quality and availability of STEM education for young people across England. I cannot wait to welcome our first cohort of apprentices to the Society.”
Access to high-quality tech education will also be key in closing the digital skills gap in the UK. In 2018, 4.3 million people were estimated to have zero basic digital skills, and a further 6.4 million had only basic abilities online.1 Access to employer-led education will encourage more people to improve their digital skillset and consider a career in technology, who otherwise may not have done so without the opportunities provided by the IoT and employers.
Nationwide will have an active role in shaping and delivering the curriculum at the Institute of Technology offers, including offering insight days at Nationwide House in Swindon, hackathons, visits from specialist speakers and employability coaching.
Patrick continued: “We’re especially proud to bring this project to our hometown in Swindon. This is a significant investment for Nationwide, and we’re confident that it will be a positive move towards helping close the digital skills gap and provide more employment opportunities for people who perhaps have never had the opportunity to consider a career in technology before.”
For more information, and to apply for one of the apprenticeship schemes on offer at Nationwide, please visit: https://www.nationwide-jobs.co.uk/early-careers/apprenticeships/
