ANS is celebrating the tenth anniversary of its apprenticeship programme, which was rated ‘Outstanding’ by OFSTED in 2021. ANS is one of only two tech company apprenticeship providers to achieve this prestigious status.
With a place in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers for three years running, ANS’s Academy has maintained a 100% pass rate and 78% distinctions, supporting over 250 apprentices to gain a qualification and to launch their tech careers.
Created with a mission to develop future generations of talent and to close the diversity gap, the ANS Academy has provided opportunities in cloud technologies, with specialisms in networking, infrastructure, and cybersecurity. There are also plans to introduce an AI Apprenticeship later this year.
ANS celebrated the anniversary with past and present apprentices at its Manchester headquarters, Fusion. Previous apprentices, Brad King, director & co-founder of HoneypotDB, Liam Stretton, technical specialist, Linux Endpoints, Sky UK and Sam Greaves, senior consultant, SureCloud took to the stage to discuss their experience at the academy and how it provided the perfect building blocks for their career in tech.
Following its huge success, ANS has expanded the service, launching its Academy–as–a–service to businesses including current and new customers as well as partners. This provides the same outstanding apprenticeship programme outside of ANS, supporting the wider tech ecosystem to develop talent.
The anniversary follows the recent announcement that ANS had been awarded the Microsoft UK Services Partner of the Year. The award recognises its performance, strategic alignment and impact on customers using Microsoft Cloud, as well as celebrating its community impact, which the Academy has played a pivotal role in shaping over the last decade.
Richard Thompson, CEO at ANS said: “We’re so proud to be celebrating ten years of our apprenticeship programme. Our ANS Academy, a cornerstone of our broader mission to make tech accessible to all, has played a vital role in helping young people enter the world of tech and bridging the digital skills gap.
“We’re not going to stop there. This year we’re placing a major focus on AI readiness as the industry continues to evolve, and our Academy-as-a-service offer means we can support the wider tech ecosystem with the training we provide. The future of our ANS Academy will be even more beneficial for our own employees, our partners and our customers and we can’t wait to see what the next ten years hold.”
Daniel Hyland, platform engineer, Peak AI and former ANS Apprentice added: “Being a part of the ANS Academy taught me every fundamental I needed to know about tech. The programme exposed me to cutting-edge tech right in the heart of Manchester. The technical knowledge, skills, networking and connections I made have been invaluable, enabling me to really excel in the industry.”
