An innovative scheme could allow A- Level students wishing to pursue a career in IT to secure permanent employment while having their degree paid for.
Technology company Kainos is seeking to recruit up to 10 high performing A-Level students in a new development initiative worth between £75,000 and £10,000 per candidate.
The ‘Earn as you Learn’ scheme will allow students to earn a living and develop real-world expertise and experience as trainee software engineers, while simultaneously studying part-time for a BSc Hons degree in Computing Systems at the University of Ulster, Jordanstown.
Kainos will pay all course fees, course materials as well as providing the candidates with a laptop and the required software.
The project offers a starting salary of £10,00 and is aimed at upper 6th students about to sit their exams and wondering what to do next.
Announcing the scheme the company’s head of HR, Paul Hamill said:
“In the past 9 months we have completed just over 60 week-long placements for A Level students. We observed two growing trends – the first is the continuing financial pressure on families in the current economic climate and we are seeing some promising students defer or cancel going to university. The second is that there is a small, but growing segment of students who are already quite advanced software engineers – we believe these individuals will flourish in conditions where classroom education is supplemented by excellent mentoring within Kainos. This programme is aimed at addressing both these needs.”
He explained: “Our goal is to attract, select and appoint up to 10 candidates as trainee software engineers for employment commencing in September 2013. We will be targeting those who have completed A Levels or equivalent examinations in June 2013.”
“We will be offering permanent employment, with a generous salary, while paying for tuition fees for each chosen student’s undergraduate degree. We are a high tech company, but with a traditional view – you go to university to get educated, not to get buried in debt” concluded Hamill.
The rapidly growing technology company offers particular expertise in three core markets – healthcare, financial services and public sector and was recently ranked 55 in the Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For 2013 list.
Applications to the scheme are now open and will close on June 7. An open evening will be held at Kainos’s offices in Belfast on Thursday, May 16 from 6pm until 8pm to provide an opportunity to meet the staff and find out more about the programme and company.
Details of the entry requirements, the full benefits and the application and selection process, can be found on www.kainos.com.