CDL is one of the UK’s leading insurance software houses, employing over 450 people at its headquarters in Stockport. CDL has taken on eight new apprentices for its service centre, creating permanent jobs for young people from the local area and opportunities for the apprentices to gain workplace-based IT experience.
Alex Carey, Alex Robinson, Ben Neal, Kashif Butt, Michael Ogden, Tom Podmore, Rachel Koch and Tom Barker were welcomed by CDL as Service Centre Apprentices. Their apprenticeships were arranged as part of a 12-month learning programme that includes IT skills such as networking and technical support. At the end of the 12 months the participants will be retained by CDL as ongoing employees.
This is the second wave of apprenticeships created by CDL, offering practical learning opportunities for ambitious candidates preparing to enter the job market. The first wave of apprentices began work at CDL in March 2012 and are expected to graduate from the scheme in March 2013, each qualified with a Level Three Advanced Apprenticeship for IT Professionals.
Peter Larkham, Head of Human Resources for CDL, said: “As a major employer in Stockport, we have more than doubled our workforce since 2006, and expect to create up to 150 additional jobs by 2015. Through our apprenticeship scheme we aim to equip young people from the local area with the skills and support necessary to fill some of these jobs. “Apprenticeships offer an important alternative to higher education for young people, especially at a time when tuition fees are rising and university applicants are falling. Two candidates from our first wave of apprentices have already earned promotions, demonstrating the success that this scheme has met with to date.”