Virgin Media O2 scoops 2023 Early Careers Award

Virgin Media O2’s approach to solving its digital skills shortage wowed the judges at the Personnel Today Awards 2023, landing it the Early Careers Award.

The company has an all-encompassing programme for school leavers, apprentices and graduates, with 60-plus initiatives to provide thousands of learners with skills for the future. Our judges said the programme was outstanding. Read about its entry here, alongside that of our other finalists.

Virgin Media O2

The UK is facing a digital skills shortage, presenting significant challenges to Virgin Media O2 as it strives to upgrade the country’s connectivity. The company also wanted to build a more inclusive pipeline of talent for the future.

Early careers routes help it achieve that goal by addressing skills shortages. Virgin Media O2 has created 60-plus programmes providing thousands of learners with skills for the future. It has also committed to creating 1,000 more apprenticeships. Its programme opens opportunities to a diverse range of individuals who have potential, but who can lack relevant qualifications or experience. The company’s focus has been on people’s potential rather than prior experience or who they know; it does not ask for CVs and has removed barriers as it seeks to know about its candidates – who they are, and their attitude and aptitudes.

Virgin Media O2’s school outreach programme targeted 1,400 schools nationwide, where it has provided innovative digital tools including a practice Situational Judgemental Test (STJ) and a job matching tool, providing students with information about a career in the industry. The firm is on track to achieve its 1,000 apprenticeships pledge. More than 70 apprentices are now managers and there are 20 graduates in leadership positions. About 130 apprentices have undertaken more than one apprenticeship with the company.

Virgin Media O2 has provided 2,000-plus apprentices with an industry qualification, of which 84% is equivalent to 5 GCSEs and 2 A-levels. It has made significant progress in diversifying intake, with 6% offers to candidates with a disability (up from 2%), 18% offers to female candidates (up from 13%) and 26% (up from 23%) to candidates from underrepresented groups. This is above industry benchmarks, especially as most of the firm’s programmes are Stem-related.

DPD UK

People development and early careers are integral to DPD’s success. Bringing new blood into the transport industry is not just an altruistic aspiration, it helps future-proof the business. The firm sees its goal as being to recruit, inspire and retain committed people and future leaders who share DPD’s distinctive DNA. It has more than 200 apprentice, graduates and supported employees at any one time starting their early careers.

Three specific early careers initiatives are making a hugely positive impact on the business. First is the graduate programme, which has attracted 200 new graduates to the company, most of whom are now in substantive posts either in DPD’s head office central functions or in its nationwide network of 84 depots and 5 hubs. Secondly, DPD has attracted over 300 apprentices over the past decade into a variety of roles; and supported employment. DPD’s ‘Inspire’ initiative supports young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities and gives them a pathway into meaningful employment.

Since 2016 DPD has recruited around 40 graduates a year who follow a two-year development programme before taking on a shift manager role at one of its sites, where they will typically earn £34,000 and be leading a team of around 30 drivers. Twenty of these people have already been promoted to operations manager or depot manager roles, earning about £58,000 and leading teams of up to 150 people. Some have risen even faster through the ranks.

IRIS Software Group

IRIS’s social purpose is “to inspire and support the next generation of talented young people, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds, and those from under-represented groups, to reach their full potential through a career in technology”. To achieve this, the firm says it’s proud to operate initiatives focused on improving the employability of young people, graduates, interns, and apprentices (especially from underprivileged backgrounds). It operates in partnership with a range of trusts, charities, and community outreach programmes, such as the Prince’s Trust, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, and Salford University.

IRIS’s passion for social mobility stems from its CEO, Elona Mortimer-Zhika, who was born in Albania and arrived in the UK at 16 years old on a scholarship. It says she has truly championed the firm’s commitment to equal opportunity, fair representation and inclusion. IRIS has partnered with Salford University to provide scholarships to three students from low-income backgrounds to enable them to complete their second- and third-year Computer Science and Software Engineer studies.

To support young people when they join IRIS, the company has an ‘Activate’ programme, designed to nurture any graduate, apprentice, or person starting out in their career (Activators) and help them to progress by investing in their future. So far, IRIS has welcomed 104 graduates into its 2022 and 2023 cohorts. The two-year programme involves a plethora of development opportunities to keep Activators engaged, connected, and excited about their future by providing tools to develop their skills, confidence, and profile within the company. To further support upward social mobility, IRIS provides free apprenticeship opportunities for employees at all levels and across all its UK offices, and provides funding for professional qualifications (such as the CIPD, CIPP, IT, legal and accountancy qualifications), which particularly supports lower-paid employees who would not have the means to fund the courses themselves.

Lloyds Banking Group

The UK’s largest digital bank wants to be a UK leader in the fintech space. To achieve this it has sought to attract, nurture and develop a diverse pool of technology and data talent by: building a vibrant campaign to challenge misconceptions; increasing the number of applications to all early talent tech engineering programmes; redefining its assessment and selection approach for the firm’s tech and data programmes to streamline processes, focus on inclusive hiring, and recruit genuine talent; expanding the company’s tech and data programme offering, with an enhanced on-programme experience.

Lloyds set about creating a brand-new campaign identity “Imagine what next” to attract, engage and convert quality candidates. This included graduate and apprentice stories and an insight into its technology and data roles within a dedicated area of emerging talent career website. Lloyds has also partnered with various third-party organisations with community-specific links to students interested in tech or those from a Stem background as well as targeting through recruitment marketing campaigns and events. It attended eight events specifically aimed at this hard to attract segment, including Bright Network’s Women in Tech, Stem Women UK Wide Careers event, Virtual Tech Insight Event with Pathway CTM and Coding Black Females.

As a result of Lloyds creative and re-engineering efforts, the company has seen a positive shift in candidates’ perceptions, supported by a robust diverse candidate pipeline. Consequently, the number of tech and data specialists joining has increased.

MBDA UK

Over 60% of MBDA’s 4,600-strong workforce comprises of engineering and technology roles – skills often scarce in the UK job market. The firm also has to operate under government-imposed vetting procedures limiting its ability to fill skills gaps from overseas. It therefore considers its early careers programmes are therefore a vital part of its talent strategy as each early careers member helps fill both current and future skills needs. MBDA invests heavily in apprentices and graduates to ensure they have the skills, knowledge and behaviours to perform in their roles, to feel their contributions are recognised, and to make sure they would like to remain with the company.

MBDA also partners with numerous organisations and educational institutions to deliver its programmes but also for Stem outreach activities to upskill and inspire future generations. Currently, MBDA employs over 210 apprentices. Its 152 early careers apprentices are placed across 10 different programmes to address skills gaps within multiple functions, and their positive impact is widely recognised.

The company is always increasing the range of apprenticeship standards it offers as its business evolves. Its 2023 intake includes finance levels 3-4 and test engineers level 6. In 2024 the firm will be introducing an Information Management Academy at level 6. Apprentices start on £18,000 (well above typical apprenticeship pay), with a £3,000 joining bonus. The company has 190 individuals on its graduate programmes. Most programmes lasts two years. Graduates start on £30,000 and receive a £3,000 joining bonus.

Steer Automative Group

Accident repair group Steer has highly qualified technicians who are equipped with latest innovative repair technology. In 2021, Steer instigated an ambitious growth plan; to succeed, they would need the right acquisitions, organic growth, and a skilled workforce.

The backdrop for this is a sector skills shortage, with a shortage of skilled, qualified technicians and an ageing demographic. Many skilled workers left the industry during the pandemic; Brexit also had an impact as the repair industry employed a significant number of European workers. With Steer having 16.8% of its technician workforce aged over 55, and retirement feasible within five years, the business needed to dig deeper to find the necessary expertise.

Steer has invested in a head of academy and an academy development manager over the past year or so. Data was key to planning the programme. Having 10% apprentices in the business was the aim, but the team needed to identify the priority skills and locations across Steer’s 60 sites to ensure future-proofed skills. Training is delivered through block release and Steer ultimately selected two training partners to provide all technical specialisms and become involved in the recruitment process, helping to attract through their networks and social media. Steer advertised with the National Apprenticeship Service, and through automotive industry groups, as well as promoting to existing colleagues for friends and families.

Since September 2022, Steer has grown from 46 to 88 technician apprentices and plans are on track to address the 16% of colleagues who may potentially retire within five years. There has been an increase in female applications in recent recruitment drives, resulting in the appointment of five female technical apprentices which is 5.8% of the apprentice talent pool. The ethnic minority percentage within the apprentice talent pool has risen to 11.3%.

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