Software Imaging, a software company from Oxford are an ambitious company who are constantly looking at different ways to transform their business. Although they never considered recruiting an Apprentice initially, Software Imaging met with the 3aaa Oxford Academy and quickly realised that it was a great opportunity to recruit young people who are passionate about technology, who will receive excellent technical training and who bring new skills and innovation into their business.

Richard Munns – Quality Assurance Manager, Software Imaging

“We have been very impressed with the whole Apprenticeship process so far. Our initial telephone call to 3aaa was extremely informative and as this was the first time Software Imaging were thinking of taking on an Apprentice, 3aaa went through step by step of what was required in a very professional manner. This was an excellent first impression for us knowing that if Software Imaging were going to move forward with the Apprenticeship process we should be speaking to 3aaa to help make things happen.

Our first face to face meeting again followed the same professional approach. 3aaa were able to answer all the questions we had as a company and if they did not have the information to hand, they said they would provide us the details via email, which followed very quickly after our meeting had finished. This again helped us to make the decision to go with 3aaa over other training providers.

All other face to face meetings, telephone conversations were very professional and informative, with all paperwork being completed very efficiently.

We are absolutely delighted with the calibre of the Apprentices we have taken on. The calibre of the applicants did vary with one or two we interviewed. Looking back, we maybe shouldn’t have interviewed these applicants due to their lack of technical experience, but it was all part of the process and we now know what we are looking for if we were to go through the process again.

During Josh & Thomas’s Apprenticeship we hope to set them on their way to being Junior Software Engineers. We don’t think they will be at that level by the end of the first year but we are sure they will almost be there. If all goes well, the opportunity could be there to continue supporting their development via the Level 4 Apprenticeship and work placement for an additional year.

All in all we are very impressed with 3aaa and their processes. As a company they are well-organized and very professional in all areas.”

Thomas is pictured below at the 3aaa Oxford Academy.

Olamalu, a Web Development company based in Oxfordshire recruited an Apprentice after speaking to 3aaa and realising their excitement about what our Apprenticeship programme could offer their business.

Kate Derman, Co-Founder of Olamalu:

“I am delighted to say that everything is going excellently. When 3aaa contacted us about an Apprentice and we looked at the IT Apprenticeship, we knew that this was the right thing for us to do. We were excited by the possibility of offering a young person the opportunity of working on the team whilst developing their IT skills at the 3aaa Academy, but unsure about how the whole Apprenticeship thing worked. The recruitment was exceptionally smooth. 3aaa did a great job of pre-screening candidates. It also helped that we warmed to Thomas immediately and knew that he would be a great fit for our team, as he has indeed proved to be.

The most important things for us in a candidate were their enthusiasm for IT and web development in particular, their willingness to learn and their ability to operate independently and flexibly. From the start, Thomas has clearly demonstrated the first two. For someone who’s only young, he’s doing well on the last one, and we’re working hard to develop his skills so that he can take on more complex tasks. As a company, we’ve always strongly believed in training our own staff, so for us training Thomas is a normal part of our operations. I think anyone taking on an Apprentice would need to make this sort of commitment to training.

He seems to be enjoying his work at the 3aaa Academy, and it’s good to know that he’s getting an all round education in IT.

I like the way the course is structured with one week at the Academy and then one week with us. This has enabled us to plan his work and develop the skills he needs. We are now looking forward to having him with us full time. “

At 3aaa we work closely with our Employers to ensure that we thoroughly understand the needs of their business and ultimately find them the right Apprentices to help them transform their business.

Castus Design, a Web Design company from Rotherham approached 3aaa after identifying the need for an Apprentice Web Planner within their company.

Chris Harpin Managing Director – Castus Design

“I view 3aaa and Castus as a partner relationship rather than supplier and customer. This is integral to the success of my business through the Apprentices that we appoint and for the benefit of the Apprentices themselves.

The team at the 3aaa Sheffield Academy understand my agency, what we need and what we can offer. This ensures that only suitable applicants are put forwards and our current Apprentice, Alex Bellis is a shining example of everything that is positive about an Apprenticeship.

In a short space of time Alex has got to grips with her job role to the extent that I enquired to see if it was possible to fast track her program, sadly this isn’t possible due toqualification guided learning hours.

The skills that Alex learnt during her academic time combined with on the job training have placed her in a great position for a fruitful career in the digital industry, I expect to see her career overtake mine over the coming years.

Business growth has not been as scalable as I would have liked over recent years due to a shortfall in digital talent. Market places such as Leeds and Nottingham generally pay inflated salaries compared to what is available in South Yorkshire tempting many people away from our catchment area.

Working in partnership with 3aaa is allowing us to build a team that will support our clients for years to come.”

Alex Bellis – Apprentice

“As I have always been keen to pursue a career within IT, I jumped at the chance to enrol with the 3aaa Academy after hearing great things about them as a training provider. I had my initial interview at the academy with Lisa and Caroline back in June 2014, and once my place was accepted onto the course I was then set up for an interview with a local Web Design company called Castus who were looking to appoint a Web Planner to join their team. I was successful in the interview and was offered the position to start in 2 weeks’ time, as I was due to start at the Academy the following Monday.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at 3aaa as I believe I learnt a lot which would help me progress my career in IT. The staff and tutors were really easy to work with which made it a nice environment to be in. As I have now finished the Technical Certificate part of my NVQ after studying one week at the academy and one week at my workplace for 11 weeks, I am now solely in my workplace where I receive regular visits from my Assessor Cat Thomson every month to help me progress with the rest of my qualification. I find this a good way of learning as I am still able to manage my workload at Castus while allowing myself time each week to complete some of my units for Cat in preparation for her assessment visits, receiving any input I need from my colleagues also.

I am extremely glad to have been given this opportunity with 3aaa, as I have received so much help throughout the time I have been there and I don’t think I would be anywhere near the stage I am at now in my career without them. They have guided me along the way and assisted me in my qualification as well as finding me a fantastic company to work for.”

Caroline Walton (Recruitment Executive at the Sheffield Academy)

“I have been working with Chris and the team at Castus since October 2013 and I have a good idea of the kind of Apprentice they are looking for as we had already placed two Apprentices with them previously.

After a conversation with Chris about a new role he was hoping to develop within the company to help Castus grow and expand, I was invited by Lisa Taylor to sit in on a candidate interview to help me understand the role of Apprentice intake better.

The candidate we interviewed was Alex Bellis who had all the qualities Chris was looking for in an Apprentice Web Planner, the new role in which he was developing. After the interview I rang Chris and explained I had just sat in on an interview with a candidate who I felt would fit his new role perfectly, he then asked me to set up an interview with her two days later purely on what I had told him about Alex.

Alex was interviewed and Chris called me straight after and offered her the position with a start date as soon as possible.”

Throughout the country, both SMEs and larger companies are constantly looking at ways to transform their business and to make their business stand out from their competition in a range of constantly changing industries.

Silver Birch Creative, a graphic design and branding company from Derby are always looking to find ways to take a step forward in the world of Social Media and Digital Marketing. Silver Birch pride themselves on having ‘big agency capabilities, small agency values and a passion for graphic design and branding’.

Andy Green (Recruitment Executive for the 3aaa Academy) made contact with former business associate, Karl Shaw (Silver Birch Director) and they discussed the benefits that a Social Media Apprentice would have on the business in a highly competitive sector. Karl said “Taking on an apprentice wasn’t an initial idea we had in mind for the Silver Birch team but 3aaa proved their professional reputation and expertise right from the start, and that the training they had to provide really was a step up from the other apprentice services out there.”

Shortly after, Silver Birch Creative then embarked on an exciting journey, recruiting their first ever Apprentice. Jacob D’Amico, a Level 3 Social Media Apprentice from the Derby Academy matched both the skills and personality that the company were looking for as they strived to add value to their business.  Whilst gaining real life working experience at Silver Birch, Jacob is also completing the Level 3 Diploma in Social Media for Business.

Emma Shaw (Silver Birch Accounts Director) said “3aaa have a different approach to other training providers; they were fully committed to finding us an Apprentice that would perfectly fit the needs of our business and supported us every step of the way. They sat down with us and made an effort to understand the nature of our business, making it their mission to find us the right Apprentice. We’ve now welcomed Jake to the family, and are all very eager to see where this novel addition of skills and understanding will take us”

Jacob said: “I’m genuinely thrilled to have been taken on by Silver Birch, I’m excited to have the opportunity to really speak volumes for this company, to build their image using social media, to make sure businesses out there in need of the service that Silver Birch provides know who to contact. Being able to provide this opportunity for Silver Birch will definitely give me a huge sense of achievement and I’m confident in saying they’ll show their appreciation.”