Job opportunities: Want to get into IT but have no experience or qualifications?

[Burnsy2023]

I work for the Ordnance Survey and one of the best things we do is our IT Trainee programme. It's 12 months long and you'll learn how to engineer or test enterprise quality software by the end of it. It doesn't require any qualifications or technical experience, instead we look at your ability to learn, communicate and take into consideration any side projects. For example, we had someone download some open source software to a Raspberry Pi and use it for home automation. It wasn't much but it demonstrated loads of things we're after. We are also looking for one to specialise in Cyber Security - some very valuable skills.

It's one of the few programmes that will take someone with no experience and start them off on £25k.

Whilst we're known for paper maps, that's a tiny part of the Business. We really do work on cutting edge technology doing things that nobody else has done before.

If you're interested. Take a look here: https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/about/careers/start-career/it-trainees.html

 

[Burnsy2023]

I would be interested, what's the cost of living in or near Southampton?

Err, difficult to answer that question. Compared to what? Where are you now?

 

[Burnsy2023]

Is it a good company to work for and do they have offices all over?

I'm currently in an application support analyst role (SQL, C#) and looking at a side step into our IT Security Analyst. Earning more but only as I'm on shifts and despite the company being great, the money is known to be poor across the board.

It's a very good company to work for, the flexible working is awesome. Although we have offices all over, engineering is only in Southampton.

 

[Burnsy2023]

Interesting opportunity, do they offer flexible working or remote working/work for home?

Flexible working is standard. Depending on area, working from home is possible in an ad-hoc or more permanent basis, although I'm not sure how that'd work for the first year as a trainee.

 

[Burnsy2023]

I remember applying for a job as a Test Analyst (I think) at OS back in 2006 and put loads of effort in to the application, extensive covering letter etc; I even did exploratory testing of their production website and reported at least 3 probable defects/issues. Sadly they didn't even offer me a telephone interview, but 13 years on I guess their processes may well have changed.

That's pretty crap. Ironically, we really struggle to get good testers these days. We've come a long way just in the last 5 years I've been here.

 

[Burnsy2023]

This is an excellent opportunity, just a pity it starts in september.

We dont move to southampton / portsmouth area until october

That may be negotiable. I'm mentoring one of the successful applicants and I'm on holiday all of September, so one is likely to start October.

 

[Burnsy2023]

@Burnsy2023 Very much interested in this as recently moved to Salisbury so quite close to Southampton. I will get an application in assuming I am still able to as the application process is still on the website.

Shawrey

Yes, we're reviewing applications but it hasn't closed yet.

Congratulations to those that have got to the interview stage, unfortunately I didn't get that far, probably need to do some basic IT courses

I'm sure your CV was better than the person who uploaded a shipping manifest instead of their CV.