Hermes partners with Northcoders TechEd and Graft Talent

The UK’s leading dedicated parcel company and Leeds-headquartered Hermes is partnering with Northcoders TechEd, which is part of Northcoders PLC - one of the UK’s leading independent providers of training programmes for software coding, and recruitment firm Graft Talent to launch a brand-new fully funded software development apprenticeship scheme that aims to train and retain new tech talent in Yorkshire.

Starting on 18th March 2022, the 18-month long apprenticeship programme will see participants learn all the skills they need to forge a successful career in software development. Applications are open to anyone regardless of their tech experience or knowledge and are being managed by Graft Talent. The closing date for applications is 17 th January 2022.

The course will provide an introduction to programming in Javascript as well as all the back end and front end fundamentals. It will also include front end testing masterclasses, software lifecycles and methodologies and human skills workshops.

All elements of the programme are geared towards the apprentices joining Hermes’ development team in Leeds as junior software developers on completion of the course.

The apprentices will not have to make any financial contribution and will be paid £18,500 p/a rising to £25,500 on completion of their apprenticeship. Their time will be split between Hermes’ office and Northcoders TechEd’s Leeds hub which is located at West One on Wellington Street in the city centre.

Hermes’ award-winning product and IT team looks after the firm’s website, which has 15 million monthly visits, as well as its app and innovations including Hermes Play. The business currently employs over 6,700 people across 36 locations throughout the UK and last year it handled 650 million parcels. It works with 80% of the UK’s major retailers including John Lewis, M&S, Next, ASOS, Pretty Little Thing and JD Williams.

Lynsey Aston - Head of Product, Innovation and Onboarding at Hermes - said: “Hermes is a Yorkshire business, and we are incredibly proud of our roots. The focus and principal aim of this apprenticeship scheme is to discover, teach and - most importantly - retain the very best tech talent in the region. We are, of course, a service-based company but that is underpinned by highly skilled IT, product and UX teams that fundamentally help to drive our growth and are central to how we innovate. We want the programme to be the launchpad for quality jobs that will add real value to the local economy and ensure Yorkshire has some of the brightest tech talent in the country.”

Melanie Parker – Founder and Director of Graft Talent – commented: “Hermes is an incredibly innovative business with tech at its heart. The new apprenticeship scheme is testament to that and demonstrates its ambition and commitment to grow its in-house tech capabilities. We are so excited to be partnering with them and Northcoders TechEd and would encourage anyone who is interested in developing a career in tech to find out more.”

Amy Wild – Chief Commercial Officer at Northcoders – added: “A central mission of Northcoders TechEd and the wider group is to promote diversity in tech and to keep talent in the North, so fully funded apprenticeships programmes such as this one are fantastic gateways for anyone who is considering starting a brand new career in the sector - regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, disability status or socio-economic background.”

Applications are open until 17th January 2022: https://www.grafttalent.co.uk/job/software-development-apprentice