We may not be a name that you instantly recognise. However, we’re one of the world’s largest IT companies; working in hundreds of locations across the globe. What we do has an impact not only on our 77,500 members globally but across the IT industry overall.
You might ask what we mean by members? Well, all of our employees are called members. We’re so proud of the exciting projects that they work on in helping our clients; and representing our company.
Across the UK alone, we have around 6000 members based at our 19 sites and at CGI we’re incredibly focused on driving ambitious IT careers. This is why we employ hundreds of students each year as part of our apprenticeship programmes. We’re looking for the best students to join us, so that they too can start on their exciting journey to leadership.
We understand that making the right decisions after leaving school and college can be pretty tough. So we’ve created this brochure for you to understand how our apprenticeship programmes work and most importantly, for students to be able to make the right decision for them.
We’ve been successfully running our apprenticeship scheme since 2007. In fact, over 400 students have been through an apprenticeship at CGI. We’ve got a great student recruitment team that will make sure our apprentices have all the support they need throughout their journey with us. We’re strong believers in building relationships with every apprentice.
This commitment has also been recognised nationally when we were awarded ‘The best on-boarding experience’ in 2017 at the National Graduate Recruitment Awards.
We certainly practice what we preach here too. Two of our own student recruitment team members have been through the CGI degree apprenticeships scheme, so they’re fully aware of what’s involved from a student’s point of view.
Early Careers Manager
Rebecca joined CGI over 8 years ago as a sponsored degree student, the equivalent of our current degree apprentice programme. She has been working in our early careers team for over 6 of these years and managing the team for 4 years.
She has a huge amount of passion for not only finding the future talent of CGI but she also focuses on improving the lives of our early careers members throughout the company.
Rebecca has been involved in setting up numerous new apprenticeships over her time in the team, to try and maximise the opportunities for people to start their careers with CGI.
Recruitment Specialist – Apprentices
Maria joined CGI in 2014 as part of CGI’s sponsored degree programme (later known as degree apprenticeships). Her experience as both an apprentice joining CGI as well as 5 years of early careers recruitment experience gives her a unique perspective on how to support those apprentices following in her footsteps.
Maria originally started working on one of CGI’s central government projects before she decided her true passion lay in helping to promote and support apprenticeship opportunities.
If you are looking to join as an apprentice then you will be sure to speak with Maria, and she will be on hand to support you throughout the length of your programme.
Recruitment Specialist – Graduates & Industrial Placements
Mark joined the Early Careers Team in 2016 and has over 10 years recruitment experience, he specialises in the recruitment of CGI’s graduates and industrial placements.
As a graduate who found the job hunting process a daunting and stressful one his passion lies in supporting people in starting their careers, and making the process as comfortable and fair as possible.
During the year you will find Mark at universities across the country, running assessment centres and if you join CGI he will most likely be the face welcoming you on your first day.
Mark is also a Mental Health First Aider, offering further support to members across the business including the Early Career’s communities.
Recruitment Administrator
Annalee has been a member of CGI for 27 years and the most recent 2 of these have been within the Early Careers Team.
Her wealth of experience in working in CGI combined with her passion for supporting our early careers joiners makes her a perfect point of contact for any perspective or new joiners.
Annalee’s previous roles include working in CGI’s resourcing team, assisting members in finding new roles and developing their careers, as such she is perfectly placed to guide new members in how to find the career they want.
You will see Annalee at a lot of our assessment centres, and she is always on hand to answer any questions you may have.
As one of our Early Careers Administrators if you accept an offer Annalee may be your dedicated point of contact for support.
What
apprenticeships
do CGI Offer?
When finishing school/college, there are lots of decisions to be made. If your child hasn’t made their mind up about what’s next for them, we’ve got an easy guide to explain what’s on offer as part of #GENERATIONCGI.
We have two different types of apprenticeship qualification journeys to choose from:
Our commitment to delivering outstanding apprenticeships is recognised in the recruitment industry too, so much so that we were recognised for our outstanding offering to school leavers by Target Jobs in the National Recruitment Awards, when after 2018 we were announced as winners of ‘The best school leaver programme’.
If your child wants to continue education but is unsure about going to university, then higher apprenticeships are ideal. In Scotland, higher apprenticeships are widely known as ‘modern apprenticeships’.
Higher apprenticeships enable students to study for a Level 4 qualification while at the same time working at CGI, getting first-hand experience of making an impact on the IT solutions we deliver to our clients.
The qualification that your child will gain will be the equivalent to the first year of university study.
All of our apprentices have an apprenticeship coach who works with the CGI team, to give every one of our apprentices the full support they need throughout their apprenticeship; enabling apprentices to put all of their training into real practice with real clients!
Degree Apprenticeships are ideal for those who want to go to university and gain a degree, but don’t want the associated debt! It’s also perfect for those who are not sure whether the traditional full-time study option is right for them. In Scotland, Degree Apprenticeships are referred to as ‘Graduate Apprenticeships’.
At CGI, we offer a range of different Degree Apprenticeships. Students study towards a bachelor’s degree whilst working at CGI – our students genuinely have an impact on the solutions that we deliver to our clients! Whilst working at CGI, they put their learning into practice, developing their career working on real projects, with real clients.
Higher Apprenticeships
Software Development Higher Apprenticeship
We offer this programme in England and Wales.
England-based apprenticeship
12-month programme that we run in partnership with our training provider, Makers Academy. Starting with three months of upfront training designed to kickstart the students apprenticeship journey, they’ll learn all they need to know about different coding languages. Once their initial training is complete, students get to join a CGI project in a related technical role.
Wales-based apprenticeship
24-month programme that we run in partnership with our training provider, ALS apprenticeships. Training is delivered on campus one day per week over the course of the apprenticeship, and the other four are spent working at CGI in a related technical role.
Software Testing Higher Apprenticeship
A 16-month programme that we run in partnership with our training provider, Firebrand training. This apprenticeship offers a blended learning approach with on-campus and remote learning. There will be 15 residential training days over the course of the apprenticeship, and to support alongside, there is additional content delivered through online learning and webinars.
Degree Apprenticeships
BSc (Hons) Digital and Technology Solutions Degree Apprenticeship
We offer this Degree Apprenticeship in partnership with Aston University and the University of Winchester.
The course at the University of Winchester is a three-year programme and students study on-campus once per week and spend the other four days developing their career at CGI. We have a technical programme designed for those who want to pursue an IT/Computing career, a business programme for those who want to pursue a business or project management career and a cyber-security programme, designed for those who want to pursue a technical career but specialise within security.
The course at Aston University is 4-and-a-half-year programme and students study in blocks at the university as well as remotely, whilst developing their career at CGI. We have a technical programme designed for those who want to pursue an IT/computing career.
BSc (Hons) Software Development Degree Apprenticeship
We offer this Degree Apprenticeship in partnership with Glasgow Caledonian University. It is a four-year programme and students study on-campus once per week and spend the other four days developing their career at CGI. It’s an ideal programme for those who want to pursue an IT/Computing career.
BSc (Hons) IT Management for Business Degree Apprenticeship
We offer this Degree Apprenticeship in partnership with Edinburgh Napier University. It is a four-year programme and students study on-campus once per week and spend the other four days developing their career at CGI. It’s an ideal programme for those who want to pursue an IT or business career, as there are a mixture of business and IT modules to give students the best
of both worlds!
BSc (Hons) Applied Software Engineering
We offer this Degree Apprenticeship in partnership with Swansea University. It is a three-year programme and students study on-campus once per week and spend the other four days developing their career at CGI. It’s an ideal programme for those who want to pursue an IT/Computing career.
#GenerationCGI
Gets it done.
We are one of the largest providers of cyber security services in the UK.
We have supported the missions of more than 200 satellites.
We provided the data services for 53 million Smart meters.
We have been supporting law enforcement across the UK for over 35 years.
The UK police forces rely on us to design, build and operate the Police National Database – with over 3.2 billion records.
Our systems are responsible for processing 1.5 billion fuel card transactions, managing $100 billion in fuel card payments per year.
There are many reasons why apprenticeships have become increasingly popular. Let’s be clear, with university tuition fees alone increasing to £9,250 per year, many students are finding alternative routes to Higher Education that don’t result in debt. Degree apprenticeships mean that students can gain the same recognised qualification – and debt free.
At the same time, they get real hands-on experience – and earn a salary while they’re working.
A higher apprenticeship usually takes less time to complete than a degree apprenticeship, which is ideal if your child is unsure whether university is for them.
With the ‘skills gap’ often talked about, degree apprenticeships mean that students are able to get stuck in and enter the world of work with appropriate skills that will actually help them on their career journey.
Our CGI apprentices get to work on real projects. With lots of variety, there isn’t a ‘typical day’ to be had! Our Apprentices have worked on a huge variety of exciting things, from working on top secret national security projects through to helping to finalise multi-million pound contracts and playing their part in securing Europe’s major satellites.
Not only that, but there’s a lot of potential to move into different areas within CGI, so your child will have choice in their career direction from their first day. While on the apprenticeship, apprentices have the opportunity and flexibility to move around different areas of the business, working with different clients in different industries. What’s more, their roles will relate to their studies, meaning that their learning in the classroom directly relates to what they are learning through on-the-job experience
There’s huge potential for a successful career at CGI. Many of our members are promoted before they complete their apprenticeship. One of our students who joined in 2009 is now a CGI director, which just shows the breadth of possibilities!
“It is really exciting to be in my role at the moment, particularly because I am in the Automation Support Team. This team has an emphasis on automating some manual processes within a testing environment. With AI and automatic services growing in popularity within the industry and in society as a whole, it feels like I am part of something that will make a real difference in the future.”
Michael
It’s not just study and work either. There’s also a fantastic social side to CGI. Our student communities make life exciting through lots of social events and activities. We also offer some great benefits ranging from flexible holiday to health and wellbeing. Plus, if an apprentice is relocating to join us, don’t worry at all, we can help them with that too.
25 Days Holiday
Share Purchase Plan
Pension Plan
Sports and Social Club
Health and Wellbeing Programme
Member Assistance Programme
Flexible Holiday
We offer 25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays. However, members can buy or sell up to five days leave per year to suit their needs.
Location Champions
Every CGI office has a location champion team. They organise fun events including bake offs, lunchtime board games, cinema trips and more.
Member Assistant Programme (MAP)
MAP offers our members and their families free and confidential psychological counselling and support services for personal or professional challenges.
Medical and Dental Cover
Members can opt for a range of medical and dental coverage to suit their individual or family needs as part of our flexible benefits package.
Sports and Social Club (SSC)
For £5 a month, members can join our SSC, which organises sports and social events. These can be anything from silent discos to theatre trips, so there is something for everyone. If you are sporty, there is also a range of activities and teams to join.
Health and Wellbeing
Our Health and Wellbeing Programme raises awareness and offers support for all our UK members. It focuses on mental health, ergonomic issues and health risks.
Trained Mental Health First Aiders
Our network of mental health first aiders are members who have undertaken training to provide immediate support to their peers. Monthly drop-in clinics currently run at Reading and Leatherhead.
Cycle to Work Scheme
If your child is going to commute to work by bike, we can help you to fund a new bike through our flexible benefits package.
