At Seriun we are passionate in developing
young talent in technology, and really want to do our bit to encourage
more students to choose careers in tech, when the time comes.
We work closely with our local FE institutes namely Burnley College
and Project Digital, and support them by delivering specialised talks
and presentations on IT and Cyber Security
to their students. The youngsters are invited to our offices to gain a
good understanding of what makes a thriving ICT business. Spending time
in each department allows them to appreciate the different business
functions and how they work together to form a successful IT enterprise.
The fruits of these partnerships feed our recruitment strategy. From
each IT student cohort we choose a candidate (selected during an
interview process) who will join us for the next two years in an
apprenticeship role. This is a proven process and over the years we have
had apprentices complete their courses and stay with us to progress
their career in ICT.
Our latest success story is Jake Houghton who joined us at our
Warrington office last summer as telecoms support engineer apprentice
when he was just 17. From Golborne, Wigan, Jake lives with his family
and enjoys skiing, in particular his trip to the Rockies in Banff,
Canada. He took a liking to tech at a very early age, which stemmed from
his love for computers and gaming. He has come a long way since then
and has just completed his apprenticeship with us. He has gained dual
qualifications: Level 3 Diploma in ICT Systems & Principals for IT
professionals; and Level 3 Diploma in ICT Professional Competence.
Jake said: “It’s great to have this opportunity to progress my
career in ICT with a tech company that’s going places. I‘ve gained a
good knowledge of both IT and telecoms systems over the past 12 months
through all my experience during my apprenticeship. So now I am able to
offer technical support to both sides of the business in both a 1st and
2nd line support capacity.”
Alan Scully Director of Telecoms said: “Jake is a great asset to
the team and has shown huge potential with an exciting future ahead.
Apprenticeships are a good thing for Seriun – we’re not only helping
shape and develop the apprentice for their own personal gain, but for
ours too. We’re creating the perfect fit for Seriun and at the end of it
we have someone who understands our business, embraces our culture and
has become an ambassador of our brand.”
Alan continued: “It’s a pleasure to support Jake in his studies
and be a part of developing his career. We hope he stays with us for
many more years to come.”
We have also recently welcomed James Whillock into the team on the IT
side of the business as apprentice IT support engineer. James lives in
Bacup with his family and is a proficient roller skater who can even
skate backwards with his leg in the air! He enjoys travel and his
favourite destination so far is Amsterdam. James has been interested in
technology for many years, with a particular passion for software
development. He joins #TeamSeriun after completing a BTEC at Burnley
College in Computing where he focussed on hardware, software and
virtualisation. He has just started his two-year apprenticeship at
Seriun and is part of our bustling service desk working as 1st line support helping to resolve customers’ IT issues.
James said: “My placement with Seriun is the start of the next
chapter in my life and the start of my career in technology. It was so
important that I found the right company to work with, one that would
support me through my learning and listen to my needs. I’m already
enjoying my time here and besides the apprenticeship, Seriun will
support me in working towards my Cisco CCNA qualification, focussing on
routing and switching.”
Richard Lee, Technical Director of Seriun said: “When we take on a
new team member it’s as much about Seriun being the right fit for them
as them being the right fit for us. That’s why it’s important we have a
flexible approach and can provide for the diverse needs of our team,
especially our young apprentices. We need to make sure we can support
them through their development – it is in our interest after all as we
want them to continue their career progression with us after they have
completed their course.”
Contact us if you’re interested in starting an apprenticeship with Seriun, or for career opportunities visit our Careers Page.