Agent Academy partners with global firm CGI to support creation of 700 jobs

Agent Academy, an award-winning social enterprise that provides industry-designed training for people to secure emerging jobs, has joined forces with global IT and business consulting services firm, CGI, to deliver new opportunities for young people who are underrepresented in the sector. Their partnership has opened a pathway into careers with CGI and other employers in the North West for young people who previously felt ‘locked out’ of industry.

The partnership comes in response to growing industry demand for a skilled workforce, especially in emerging new digital roles, with demand for tech professionals in the UK increasing by 10% in the first six months of 2021. This new approach gives CGI the chance to discover future talent, by opening opportunities to young people who wouldn’t otherwise know that these careers exist.

Earlier this year, CGI set a brief for 20 programme participants to work on for the duration of a 12-week programme. The brief challenged the young people to come up with digital innovations to improve the lives of other young people in the North West.

CGI, which counts offices in both Salford and Liverpool amongst its 400 locations worldwide, has promised to support the UK’s levelling up agenda by creating up to 700 new jobs across the UK, the majority being in the North. The organisation has also confirmed that it will be recruiting new hires directly from Agent Academy following the completion of the programme.

Paul Buxton, Senior Vice President Consulting Services at CGI, said:

“At CGI, encouraging the next generation of tech talent is hugely important to us and this is demonstrated by our range of apprenticeship and graduate opportunities. We’ve also been looking at how we can attract a talented, diverse workforce who may be struggling to secure the opportunities they deserve. Therefore, we are proud to be partnering with values-led social enterprises like Agent Academy to deliver on this. We are committed to offering meaningful employment opportunities and are excited to see the unique perspectives of the group and the ideas that they develop whilst with us.”

Zoe Wallace, Director at Agent Academy, said:

“Many opportunities are hidden to the young people we work with; they may have not had exposure or access to the plethora of careers that exist. We know that there are plenty of bright, talented young people, who employers across the region would love to meet. Our role at Agent Academy is to develop this talent and connect them with their future employers, simultaneously supporting businesses to find a new, diverse workforce they wouldn’t otherwise have access to.

“We create an environment that challenges young people to learn quickly; introducing them to industry leaders and giving them new skills, all of which lead to meaningful, long lasting, employment. Our partnership with CGI demonstrates that there is a need for a bespoke approach to recruiting local talent and we are so happy with the successful outcomes that we’ve already seen from this programme.”

Businesses and young people who want to learn more about opportunities with Agent Academy can get in touch by visiting www.agentacademy.org.uk.