Angus Robertson meets digital apprentices at Atos’ Moray development and innovation centre

International leader in digital services Atos, has welcomed local politician, Angus Robertson MP, to its Development and Innovation Centre in Forres to meet with apprentices on the company’s Apprenticeship Scheme and business technology programme.

Mr Robertson, SNP candidate for Moray, toured the facility (on Friday 27 March) and met with some of the 38 apprentices employed at the world-class digital services company’s Forres office.

During his visit Mr Robertson was given presentations by some of the Software Development Cyber Security Apprentices and took part in a roundtable discussion with six apprentices on their experiences working at Atos. Mr Robertson also took time to meet former RAF Kinloss employees who are now employed at the facility.

Following his tour, Mr Robertson said: “It was very encouraging to witness first-hand the work being undertaken by Atos’ young apprentices in Moray. It was great to have the opportunity to speak with them and hear about their enthusiasm and commitment to their chosen career paths and the support they are receiving to help achieve their goals.

“It’s fantastic that Atos is helping these bright individuals find a promising career path in the digital industry on their doorstep. It was reassuring to see a large company like Atos set themselves apart by investing in the young people of Moray and in taking an active role in ensuring the future of this sector.”

The apprentices operate across the company’s range of client business from the Forres base delivering a range of top class IT services on behalf of public and private organisations in sectors including health, energy and transport.

Gavin Thomson, Senior Vice President for Atos in Scotland and Wales, said: “Atos is proud of our successful apprenticeship programmes throughout the UK and we are delighted to bring these 38 apprenticeship roles to Moray with more to follow in the future.

“We have uncovered some great talent with this current intake of apprentices and they are already bringing value to the business. We strongly believe our continued investment in Moray will deliver more benefits and opportunities to the young people as well as the local area.

“It was also a great opportunity for those young people and ex-RAF employees to share their recent work experiences with Angus.

Jordan Slapp, Software Development apprentice at Atos’ Development and Innovation Centre, said: “We were all delighted to talk through what we have been exposed to as part of the scheme and the knowledge we’ve gained so far.

“I have always been interested in technology and an apprenticeship with Atos was a great fit as it offered me the opportunity to learn more about an area I was interested in while gaining on-the-job experience.

“There are a lot of opportunities you can take advantage of when working for a global company like Atos. They invest a lot of time in us to make sure we get the best skills in our area and continue to develop within the company.”

Atos Apprenticeship Schemes were introduced over four years ago in response to what was seen as a large ICT talent gap amongst young people. The programme allows those involved to build a career in IT through formal training and development programmes and a number of recognised qualifications through QA. Twenty nine of the apprentices in Forres are also fast-tracked through a 12week Cyber Security Academy which is accredited by the University of Derby.

The Atos Apprenticeship programme has been widely recognised for its quality. The company was declared one of the City & Guilds Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers in 2013, was regional Winner of the Employer of the Year in 2013’s National Apprenticeship Awards, and was also the winner of Scotland’s Best Newcomer Employer for Apprenticeships in 2012.

About Atos

Atos SE (Societas Europaea) is a leader in digital services with 2013 pro forma annual revenue of €10 billion and 86,000 employees in 66 countries. Serving a global client base, the Group provides Consulting & Systems Integration services, Managed Services & BPO, Cloud operations, Big Data & Security solutions, as well as transactional services through Worldline, the European leader in the payments and transactional services industry. With its deep technology expertise and industry knowledge, the Group works with clients across different business sectors: Defence, Financial Services, Health, Manufacturing, Media & Utilities, Public Sector, Retail, Telecommunications and Transportation.

Atos is focused on business technology that powers progress and helps organizations to create their firm of the future. The Group is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic & Paralympic Games and is listed on the Euronext Paris market. Atos operates under the brands Atos, Atos Consulting, Atos Worldgrid, Bull, Canopy, and Worldline. For more information, visit: https://atos.net/en-gb