IBM is launching a new 23-month apprenticeship to plug the skills gap in the UK.
The Business Partner Apprenticeship programme provides participants with the opportunity to work in the sales teams of its UK partners, from VARs to born-in-the-cloud companies. The programme will see the apprentices work with partners to sell IBM offerings to their customers.
The full-time apprentices will finish the programme with a Level 2 IT Technical Services diploma, giving participants the qualifications and practical experience needed to succeed in technology sales.
IBM also runs its Ignite scheme, aimed at tackling youth unemployment by providing vocational training and work experience for young people in disadvantaged areas, and supporting youth charities in London and the South.
The vendor also launched its Pathways in Technology (P-TECH) initiative this year. It provides secondary school students – from disadvantaged areas – with a career path in an increasingly digital economy.
Students on the programme can gain work experience and possibly paid internships from IBM’s employer partners.
“If the UK is to remain competitive and take advantage of the growing digital economy, businesses around the country must work hand in hand with our education system to build the next generation of highly skilled workers”, the company stated.
