Andrew Hoggart, owner of Quantum Computer Repairs and Sales, chats to us about his experience taking on an apprentice with Northern Skills to develop his workforce. Starting his career as an apprentice, Andrew strives to create opportunities for young people.
Andrew tells us: “I started my career as an apprentice however in our local area there was not a lot of opportunities for anyone wanting to get into the IT industry. So, when I started QCRS I wanted to bring opportunities to our town for young people and bringing local apprenticeship jobs to the area was always one of my main goals.
“When I initially reached out to apprenticeship providers, not one wanted to come out to see our business but with Northern Skills I didn’t even need to ask. The Northern Skills team came out straight away to meet me and explore my business, being able to put a face to the name was a massive bonus and I knew they were the provider for me.”
QCRS currently have one apprentice and are looking to take on their second, as they feel the process has been so beneficial to their business. Apprenticeships not only develop the talent of tomorrow, but they also bridge skills gaps, reduce training and recruitment costs, and help future proof your business.
Andrew continues: “Taking on an apprentice has allowed me to grow my business and training. An apprentice keeps me on my toes and up to date on the current industry technology. When I was an apprentice, I was always more motivated than other full-time employees at businesses I worked at, and I found this to be the same with my apprentice.
“You get a staff member who has no training or experience, you can train and develop them to match how you and your business works, which is incredible.
“Taking on apprentices has allowed the business to expand with lower overhead costs and on a nationwide scale. Once our apprentice was trained it allowed us to go global with orders, taking on our second apprentice is now allowing us to open a line of shops.
“We found our local community was really excited about the company training young people locally and bringing a new industry to the area. All our customers love speaking to our apprentice and finding out what they are learning, this has helped us bring in more local customers too.”
The team at Northern Skills and TTE do their best to match the perfect candidate to any apprenticeship vacancy advertised and personalise the recruitment process for each partnering employer. Not only does this take recruitment pressure away from your demands, but it also ensures the apprentice taken on is the best candidate for the role advertised.
Andrew said: “I always mention this to other business owners I speak to about taking on an apprentice, without taking on apprentices my business wouldn’t have grown as quickly as it did.
“I have worked with Aaron Naqui, Holly Carnell, Anwar Bashir, Phoebe Smith and Lauren Bell and each person has been amazing, the speed and efficiency everyone works at is impressive. The team have made taking on an apprentice a dream, everyone is organised and always keep you updated at every point.
“I have found I can easily connect and speak to the team about anything I need to, it’s never an inconvenient time, everyone is so friendly and easy to get along with.”