Atos named North East’s Investors in People Award for Apprenticeship Employer Newcomer of the Year in 2013 Apprenticeship Awards

International IT services company Atos has won a top industry award for its apprenticeship scheme.

Atos, an international IT services company, celebrated its naming as “Investors in People Award for Apprenticeship Employer Newcomer of the Year” for the North East region, in the 2013 Apprenticeships Awards. The prize was awarded at a ceremony held at the Radisson Blu in Durham on Thursday 12th September. The Investors in People Award for Apprenticeship Employer Newcomer of the Year Award seeks to acknowledge and celebrate employers who have recently invested in apprenticeships and who can demonstrate the immediate benefits this has brought to them. The awards showcase businesses that have demonstrated commitment in training their workforce, enabled the business to improve and grow as well as showed the potential of the programme to act as a role model for other employers.

The Atos Apprenticeship Scheme was first introduced in 2010, in response to a large ICT talent gap amongst young people. Atos’ programme allows apprentices to build a career in IT using formal training and development programmes and a number of recognised qualifications, offering an alternative option to the more traditional University route.

As part of its strategy, Atos has introduced and developed additional apprenticeship schemes to meet the growing business demand by helping local talent to rebase the company’s pyramid. Since 2012, 80 apprentices have been recruited by Atos in England – 13 of which are in the North East.

Jane Williams, Atos HR Director, said: “We are delighted to accept this award for being part of a programme that has allowed us to attract talented and driven individuals to our company. We have been working hard the past year to make this scheme a successful one, and are delighted by the progress our apprentices have made. We will definitely continue to introduce new apprentices schemes in the future responding to business demands.”

Sue Price, Divisional Area Director for the National Apprenticeship Service in the North, said: “This year’s awards were an exceptional showcase of the outstanding apprentices and employers we have in our region.

“Given the high volume and extraordinary calibre of entries we received, those who reached the regional final really are the cream of the crop.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate Atos for this superb achievement. They are a shining example of how Apprenticeships can allow employers to grow their own talent, and enable apprentices to build real careers.”

About Atos

Atos SE (Societas europaea) is an international information technology services company with annual 2012 revenue of EUR 8.8 billion and 76,400 employees in 47 countries. Serving a global client base, it delivers Hi-Tech Transactional Services, Consulting & Technology Services, Systems Integration and Managed Services. With its deep technology expertise and industry knowledge, it works with clients across the following market sectors: Manufacturing, Retail & Services; Public sector, Healthcare & Transports; Financial Services; Telecoms, Media & Technology; Energy & Utilities.

Atos is focused on business technology that powers progress and helps organizations to create their firm of the future. It is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and is quoted on the NYSE Euronext Paris market. Atos operates under the brands Atos, Atos Consulting & Technology Services, Atos Worldline and Atos Worldgrid.