QA leads on Microsoft's 2016 apprenticeships for 2016 initiative

QA Apprentice meets First Minister Alex Salmond as Microsoft pledges to create over 2000 IT jobs in Scotland.

Microsoft launched their 2016 for 2016 initiative with the help of First Minister Alex Salmond and QA Apprentice Jamie Hill, generating widespread coverage including from the BBC and The Herald.

The pledge, to create 2016 IT Modern apprenticeships in three years, will double Microsoft’s apprentice intake in Scotland. It is part of the technology giant’s ‘Get On’ initiative to get 300,000 young people into work over the next three years.

QA Apprenticeships, as Scotland’s leading IT apprenticeships provider, will have a leading role in the initiative; creating, filling and providing training for as many of the new job roles as possible, working with Microsoft’s partner network.

Alex Salmond MP lauded the initiative at First Minister’s Question Time as “a terrific announcement, both for the thousands of individual young people who will be given a fantastic career opportunity and for Scotland’s Modern Apprenticeship programme.

“Recruiting 2016 apprentices by 2016 represents a huge endorsement of Scotland’s young people from a company with operations in dozens of countries.”

Jonathan Warner, Head of QA Apprenticeships in Scotland said:

“We are delighted with the news that Microsoft is expanding its apprenticeships in Scotland, and with the high-profile endorsement of the First Minister. As the lead provider on the initiative QA is pleased to have been backed both by Youth Employment Minister Angela Constance and Michel Van der Bel, Microsoft's UK Managing Director in the promotion around the initiative.

"QA Apprenticeships will be dedicated to training as many young people as possible and surpassing Microsoft's 2016 target.”

Jamie Hill, who has already benefitted from the QA Apprenticeship scheme, said:

"Now I've finished my apprenticeship, I've been kept on and am actually helping instruct new starters at Capito. They've trained me up in every way I could imagine and I've been able to move out of my parent's house."

For more on the story visit the BBC, the Scottish Government website and the Herald Scotland.