Menu
0345 556 4170 | #nowskillsgivesyoumore
Case Study: The Config Team
Who are The Config Team:
- SAP Supply Chain Specialists
- Skelmersdale, Merseyside
- Established in 1994
The Config Team provides cutting-edge technologies for mobile warehousing, logistics, SAP and supply chain, which helps solve business problems. An Investors In People Gold Award winner and SAP Gold Partner, The Config Team has an enviable reputation as the leading SAP logistics and supply chain solutions specialist in the UK with a collaborative, supportive and friendly culture and as such, the team needs bright, enthusiastic and customer focused people to manage the helpdesk. They supercharged their business through the introduction of Infrastructure Technician and Information Communication Technician apprentices, who continue to play an integral role in the ongoing growth, success and reputation of the business.
The Partnership
Working with NowSkills for more than a year, the fast-growing northwest SME is impressed with NowSkills’ courses and apprenticeships. Talent Manager Tom Silcock says: ‘We have been very happy with the various courses NowSkills offer which are relevant to the development of young people following a career pathway within digital and technology and ideal for the people that we want to recruit. NowSkills are consultative in their approach to screening and selection, ensuring the candidate is appointed to the correct course and are always willing to be flexible to make the recruitment and selection process work for us.’
Approach to apprentices
Says Tom: ‘It’s no secret that there is a skills shortage in the UK within digital and technology, especially SAP technology. Recruiting experienced people can take a long time, be expensive and deprive lesser-experienced people from gaining opportunities to up-skill and enter the labour market within technology. Apprenticeships, along with graduate recruitment is now embedded as part of our strategy to help close the skills gap within SAP technology, and ensure lesser experienced people are given opportunities to enter the market, up-skill and have a fulfilling career path to be a future leader within the industry.
‘We see the value in apprentices as it allows a generation of people to join the business who perhaps would have been overlooked in the past due to lack of experience. Apprentices bring new ideas, perspectives, traits and life experiences to help shape the business to create a better service for our customers and culture/environment for our colleagues. There are always new and exciting career development opportunities for our graduates and apprentices allowing them to enjoy fulfilling and successful careers at The Config Team.
A day in the life of an apprentice
The Config Team currently has numerous apprentices working as IT helpdesk analysts. They are all in permanent employment and on apprenticeship programmes, which typically run for the course of 12 – 15 months. A typical day will see them working within an ITIL environment assisting with the coordination of helpdesk tickets, solving helpdesk tickets, working with IT hardware and SAP software, assisting with the IT requirements for new starter inductions, IT process improvements and providing high standards of customer service.
Sam a level 3 apprentice IT Helpdesk Analyst says:
‘I am thoroughly enjoying my apprenticeship at The Config Team. Coming from a background where I had studied IT throughout high school and college my ambitions that I always wanted to get into an apprenticeship as I felt that was the best way to learn and when the Opportunity came up to have an apprenticeship here not only developing myself in IT but also learning some new skills in SAP it was something I could not turn down I enjoy the work I do every day it is busy but when you enjoy the work you do busy is not a bad thing especially when you get the feeling of accomplishment when helping customers solve their issues.’
Tom says:
‘NowSkills’ courses offer a healthy balance of soft and technical skills needed for an apprentice to be successful. They offer the right balance of practical, classroom and online experience and training for someone to operate in the role of IT helpdesk analyst.’
How do your apprentices learn/train via NowSkills?
- Mentoring sessions
- Training in the workplace
- Work shadowing
- Online learning
- Online / on-site workshops with tutor
What do you think of the tutors and support team?
To date, they have been excellent
Top 3 things about working with NowSkills?
- Knowledgeable client account managers
- Technology specific courses
- Good training tools available – LinkedIn learning accounts
Soft skills involved:
- Communications skills
- Internal/External stakeholder skills
- Customer service skills
- Management skills
- Time management skills
- Business writing skills
Hard skills involved:
- Business analysis
- Critical thinking
- SAP software
- IT hardware
- Business consultancy
- IT support
