Comms Dealer

Apprenticeships in ICT are growing in popularity among both employers and young people according to figures released by the National Apprenticeship Service.

The quarterly Apprenticeship Index reveals a 13% increase in Apprenticeship vacancies in the sector posted online on the Apprenticeship vacancies website between August and October 2013 (Academic Year Q1 2013/14) compared to the same period the previous year (1,920 vacancies were advertised over the three months versus 1,700 in 2012).

But with online applications in the sector leaping by 42% (to 37,690) and every vacancy now attracting an average of 20 applications, the Government is urging employers to create more Apprenticeship positions in order to meet the demand.

London saw the greatest increase in vacancies in the sector (53% increase) while the north west recorded the biggest jump in applications (76% increase).

The Index also reveals that apprenticeships are attracting increasing numbers of applications from female candidates.

Online applications from women across all industries have increased by more than half since 2012, with 216,100 applications made by females in the three month period, a 55% increase.

This has also served to narrow the male gender bias, with 47% of all applications for Apprenticeships made by females last year compared to 43% the previous year.

Matthew Hancock MP, Skills and Enterprise Minister, said: "These figures show that apprenticeships are growing in appeal to young people, and yet more young women are seeking out this unique opportunity to earn while they learn and gain a recognised qualification while notching up vital work experience.?

"With new independent research revealing that one in five employers currently have former apprentices working in senior, board level, positions, it's also very encouraging to see vacancies increasing and new employers coming on board.

"But with each online position attracting an average of 12 applications, demand continues to outstrip supply and I would urge more employers to consider how they can take advantage of this available pool of talent and grow their business through apprenticeships."

ICT service provider PSU Technology Group (PSU) has expanded its Gloucestershire HQ to over 10,000 square feet, enabling it to enhance its service delivery and range of products and services that includes IT managed services support, unified communications and connectivity.

Michael Lounton, MD, said: "This expansion is reflective of our evolutionary journey into a fully unified ICT service provider. As well as providing extra room for growth the space will enable us to better align resources around service delivery and engage in more product development work."

It seems that January pay day precipitated the greatest number of resignations across UK industry for many a year. It sounds paradoxical, but if you want to improve your job prospects the best thing you can do is leave your job, writes Clive Jefferys, JMA Network.

It turns out a lot of people have secured a new role in January and have just broken the news to their current boss. The economy is moving forward at an increasing pace. With two per cent GDP growth last year newsreaders have had the unusual experience of reporting positive statistics, one after another.

Politicians, economists and pundits have been cautious in expressing their joy not wishing to brag, but as my Egyptian friend once said, 'If you want to keep your candle alight, keep it covered!'.

The purchasing index indicates that we are entering a period of significant investment in industry. In other words, lots of capital goods and services sales, and of course the telecoms industry will directly benefit. Presumably this will improve worker productivity too as companies invest in Bigger, Better, Faster tools for their staff.

Across my network of contacts within the channel and fellow recruiters the message is the same - every company wants to expand but can't find the staff because people are hesitant about moving jobs.

The plain fact is that the UK has full employment in so-called white collar professions and so there just aren't any more people to hire. We need the good news to spread and build confidence and find ways to tempt people onboard.

In the meantime employers are fighting over talent and as one of my clients said to me, iIt's like trying to run a football team without having developed the youth squad for the last five years'. It's become a bidding war for the few players that are up for transfer.

In Recruitment Land the big word is Headhunting, and I'm inundated with invitations to seminars to teach me what I already know. The solution is straightforward, but tough to implement. It's not what you know, but WHO you know, that's what vital to securing the right people for your role.

Adept Telecom CEO Ian Fishwick has been appointed SME Director for PSNGB, the industry association for Public Service Network suppliers.

In tandem with driving forward Adept's growth strategy he aims to champion the cause of all SMEs and work closely with government and the Cabinet Office to uncover easier ways for the Public Sector to do business with SMEs.

Fishwick said: "Being appointed as SME Director of PSNGB is a great honour because the directors are elected by the various Telecom companies, large and small, that comprise the PSNGB trade association.

"This is a clear sign of the respect with which Adept Telecom is held by its peers and the growing recognition that Adept is an important government supplier."

The government wants to do away with individual stand-alone networks for each major department such as Defence, Justice, Health etc, in favour of a single network - the Public Service Network (PSN).

"The concept put simply is that suppliers all provide connectivity to the same technical standards so that all local and central government networks are interoperable," added Fishwick.

"The PSN will then become the key enabler for a whole range of new ways of delivering online services and the adoption of cloud-based offerings.

The key challenge is to ensure that all of the contracts don't go to the normal winners, the large telcos."

Fishwick's remit includes identifying barriers to entry for SMEs and then persuade government to remove them. "We are pushing at a door that is already partially open," he added.

"Sir Francis Maude, the Paymaster General, has already set ambitious targets for the proportion of ICT spend that should be placed with SMEs."

Contact: ian.fishwick@psngb.org

Extreme Networks has introduced a product that analyses networks in a way that increases end user and channel knowledge of how customers are using their apps.

Purview is built on patented ASIC technology and provides visibility into application use across the network, capturing network data and then aggregating, analysing, correlating, characterising and finally reporting the data to provide insights into how and why systems and users perform.

Purview works with with Extreme Networks solutions, or networks from any other Ethernet switching vendor.

UK&I Head Steve Johnson said: "It enables channels and providers to become consultants on policies,. The network is a strategic investment and the CIO needs to be able to analyse it and provide insights."

Ten pupils from Springwood Primary School in Swinton were given a guided tour of Nimans' Salford HQ to gain an insight into how the company operates.

The children, aged 10 and 11, sat through a careers information session and learned about all aspects of the business including the warehouse, marketing, purchasing and IT, and the different roles involved.

They were split into groups and spent time with staff who explained their diverse duties.

They also learned how to take and transfer calls by phone and how to make a video conference call. They were provided with lunch and each left with a goodie bag.

Springwood is one of the Group's nominated charities, noted Nimans' event organiser Sue Goldfine. "As well as making regular donations we thought it would be an interesting and informative experience for the children to visit a big company as they hadn't had an experience like this before," she said.

"It also gave our staff the chance to meet some of the young people they are helping."

School teacher Jane Mechen said: "The pupils absolutely loved it. They don't normally get the chance to go behind the scenes of a thriving business and learn about what goes on in a hands-on way. It was a worthwhile and rewarding experience."

C4L and SMB Network Solutions have joined forces through the Partner Network as Associate business partners.

The partnership brings together C4L's SIP trunk infrastructure with SMB's telephony hardware to create a VoIP platform that has already proved popular with end users in the south, according to Dawn Morgan, C4L's Partner Executive.

"SMB is a great partner for C4L," she said. "Ee work together seamlessly from a foundation built on trust and reliability and extended business."

C4L,an Internet Telephony Service Provider, offers the connectivity for businesses to upgrade from traditional copper to SIP trunks. SMB then enables end users to access SIP trunks by providing the required hardware to make it operational.

BT has entered the headset market launching a trio of new models all available from distributor Nimans.

The flagship H55 can be connected to either a deskphone or PC and is compatible with many leading brands and software packages such as Cisco IP Communicator and Microsoft Lync.

The lightweight device has a 150m digital talk range and boasts a noise cancelling microphone, acoustic shock protection and integrated volume and mute controls.

The entry level H51 is compatible with Cisco, Avaya, Nortel and various other deskphones, sharing many of the features of the H55 such as its cordless range and noise cancelling microphone. The H52 is a dedicated USB version and has Microsoft Lync and Cisco IP Communicator compatibility.

Exertis Micro-P has combined its two businesses in Stoke-nn-Trent, Staffordshire, into a new building doubling the size of its previous office capacity.

The new office measures 10,500 square feet, versus the former office's 5,000 square feet, and houses Exertis Security, Exertis GEM Design Services, the northern team for Conect, and Exertis Micro-P Mobile North (that encompasses the mobile and accessories teams and the nationwide airtime team).

The distributor has had presence in the area since the acquisition of Tekdata Distribution in 2008, and has made the move as part of its plans for continued expansion in mobility, unified communication and managed security services.

Gerry O'Keeffe, MD, Exertis UK & Ireland Group, said: "This move is strategic for the development of Exertis. In terms of space, we now have the room to grow our teams, and we can dedicate even more resources to our customers, bringing them to us for planning meetings, vendor training days and more.

"This new office brings our company closer together under the Exertis brand, creating tighter working relationships, strengthening internal relationships and allowing more communication between departments.

"2014 is set to be a year of tremendous growth for Exertis Micro-P. We have invested £1.5m in purchasing this site, which is testament to our long-term plans to build significant sales capacity in the Stoke-on-Trent area.

"We now employ over 60 people in the area and see it as a very promising hinterland for the recruitment of quality sales people."

The new Stoke office also has training and support facilities, including two fully equipped large boardrooms for meetings and interactive planning sessions, a training room with full resources, and is the home of the Exertis Micro-P Mobile Evaluation Scheme that has expanded greatly since its launch two years ago.

Channel Telecom's new offices were officially opened on 31 January by Eleanor Laing, MP for Epping Forest and Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons.

The offices in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, provide the company with room for expansion.

Clifford Norton, MD, said: "The move allows us to further expand our operations and to recruit additional staff. Our goal is always to meet and exceed the expectations of our channel partners and their customers, so high levels of customer support are essential to our business model."

Laing added: "It's so good to see a business that started locally staying local while going from strength to strength, doubling its turnover every year. It is also great to see employment opportunities for bright and enterprising people in the local area."

Pictured: Eleanor Laing MP cuts the ribbon officially opening Channel Telecom's new offices flanked by (left) Clifford Norton, Managing Director and Channel Telecom staff.