risual confirmed on the RoATP and as Microsoft Learning Partner

risual Education are pleased to announce their successful application to the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers.

Being on the register means risual will be offering industry specific digital apprenticeships to Microsoft Partners, our own customers and employers across the UK including levy payers, in partnership with our fantastic risual Academy FE Colleges.

risual are also excited and proud to confirm that they will be one of three training providers to launch Microsoft’s Azure apprenticeships.

The announcement from Microsoft sees risual, along with only two other providers, placed firmly at the forefront of the apprenticeship scheme.

The Azure apprenticeship programme offers training in a range of cloud features and aims to teach young people about cloud computing and how it can be used.

Microsoft announced last month that it will recruit an extra 30,000 digital apprentices for its network of 25,000 partners in the UK, as part of a programme that aims to teach people digital skills to ensure the country remains a leader in next-generation technologies.

risual, who unveiled their eighth risual Microsoft Academy in January, are committed to providing young people with apprenticeships to equip them to deal with the increasing demand of digital skills.

With the Apprenticeship Levy fast approaching, there has never been more emphasis placed on learning about the benefits an apprenticeship can offer to both young people and businesses.

The Government, which last week launched its own plans to offer digital skills to millions of individuals, is keen to create more apprenticeships so young people who decide not to go to university can learn job skills and move into a fulfilling career that can benefit themselves and the wider economy.

This is especially true in the UK’s technology sector, where employment has grown 2.8 times faster than overall employment in the past decade, according to a report by Tech City, which supports the digital economy. A total of 2.4 million apprenticeships were started in England during the last parliament.

Alun Rogers, Director and co-founder of risual, said: “The Azure-focused apprenticeship we will be delivering for Microsoft is pivotal to us supporting companies to become proficient with the Microsoft Cloud. The apprenticeship is industry relevant, and by using our own industry expert assessors we can support learners to empower companies with cloud skills.”

Alun Rogers added: “As a Microsoft Gold Partner we know what the industry needs and utilise our own consultants to keep our assessors up to date and at the cutting edge of Microsoft technology to develop highly skilled and certified apprentices to grow the workforce. We are replicating our own apprenticeship scheme that has supported the growth of our own company to guide other companies how to create their own talent pool and tackle the digital skills shortage.”

Tina Jones, Director of Education at risual, said: “risual Education was created to provide industry relevant apprenticeships in line with what we have introduced for our own apprentices.  We have a passion for doing this in partnership with Further Education, empowering Colleges to be able to deliver what the IT sector need and in turn encouraging employers to support their local college. 

“By being selected as a Learning Partner for Microsoft and one of the three to deliver this Azure apprenticeship is a great recognition of our development as a Training Provider, meaning we can bring this offer to Colleges to co deliver, which is fantastic.”

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