Firm fosters new talent
Apprenticeship scheme is taking off
An East Kilbride firm is helping to foster new talent with the expansion of an apprenticeship scheme.
Award-winning supplier of office equipment, Document Data Group (DDG), is taking on new staff in East Kilbride with the help of UK-wide IT apprenticeship business scheme, QA Apprenticeships.
The Langlands-based business has been growing from strength to strength since being established in 2007.
And t his expansion needs new talent, so when looking for recruits, operations director Justin Longmuir decided to start an apprentice program.
He selected six technical apprentices, and one business apprentice.
Among the technical apprentices were EK teenager Grant McCallion (17), who is learning the ropes as an IT installation engineer, and John Cunningham (20), from Clydebank, who is spending his time on the road under the wing of a seasoned IT engineer.
On the business side, Diane Keatings (20) became involved in the pre-sales and implementation team, and is already aiming to lead her own sales team in the future.
Mr Longmuir said: “Apprenticeships seemed to be the way togo. I wanted recruits who would be committed to DDG, and to be young and enthusiastic.
“QA Apprenticeships provided us with a fantastic selection of young people who have proven to be a huge asset.
“DDG expanded quickly, in terms of turnover, profit, and staffing, and I think it is a testament to the quality of our work t hat we have so many customers who rely on us for their document management needs.
“We wanted the new recruits to be part of that.”
All seven apprentices have enthusiastically embraced working at DDG, and all are aiming for a full time career in the business after they complete their apprenticeship.
Natalie Stevenson, senior account manager at QA Apprentices, said: “We specialise in recruiting young talent, and a growing business like DDG was a perfect fit for our network of talented, enthusiastic young people with the potential to grow within organisations such as DDG.”