UKCloud awarded MoD Silver Award
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UKCloud proudly supports those who serve and is delighted to receive the Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Silver Award. UKCloud is a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant - the nation’s commitment to treat those in the Armed Forces and their families, with fairness and respect from a business perspective. Together, the Covenant and the ERS award demonstrate UKCloud’s commitment to do the right thing by actively supporting ex-service personnel. They possess so many valuable skills that transfer with ease into the civilian workplace and we are proud to have in place a support group which assists them with their transition from their military life.
“After serving in the British Army, I like many others fell into the trap of feeling lost, unsure of my transferrable skills and opportunities outside. I struggled to find my purpose of which I had and knew very well in my Regiment, so it wasn't until a chance meeting with a UKCloud employee, where I found my feet. After spending time researching the company, I felt that UKCloud was somewhere where I could belong. I applied for a job at UKCloud as a NOC Associate and after being successful I started working for UKCloud in February 2020.I have been working for UKCloud for a short time, but I have been welcomed and valued along with being a member of the military network group within the company, which is a brilliant social element. I know that I will progress in a company that offers me support, opportunities, and connections to advance and grow,’’ said Danielle Thomas, NOC Associate at UKCloud.
UKCloud’s recent State of Cloud Adoption report found that 83% of organisations agreed lack of skills were a major impediment to cloud adoption. Indeed, the Department for Education cited in 2019 that 21% of the population lack full basic digital skills. UKCloud recognises that as a Strategic Supplier to Government and a UK business, it has a moral obligation to assist its employees and the UK as a whole.
As a clear demonstration of UKCloud’s contribution to the UK’s national capability, it has, welcomed 68 undergraduates into the business across all departments since its inception in 2011. Despite the challenges facing businesses this year with the COVID-19 pandemic, UKCloud has not had to furlough any employees and will shortly onboard 17 undergraduates into roles across five departments from Marketing to Engineering – the most to date. In conjunction with this scheme, UKCloud operate an extensive apprenticeship programme with five apprentices currently gaining skills and experience in their relevant fields. Many of these undergraduates and apprentices go on to full time roles at UKCloud and similar digital businesses.
Luke Jefferies, who is a returning undergraduate placement student, with a current role of Principal Cloud Support Engineer said “Five years ago, I completed my placement at UKCloud as part of the Support team. I gained experience with lots of different types of technology such as storage, networks, virtualisation and more. Since finishing my placement and then getting the opportunity to return to UKCloud, I've had the ability to directly influence how the company evolves. Even being fresh out of university, I felt my opinion mattered, something that I believe would not happen in a large enterprise organisation. UKCloud has also helped me achieve my GIAC Certified Incident Handler certification as part of my personal development.’
UKCloud recognises that its diverse workforce is one of its significant strengths that led to the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Innovation, and continuously strives to bridge any gaps with relevant and meaningful initiatives which include; programmes for Women in Technology, conducting its recent Gender Pay Gap Report, as well as its Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace scheme. UKCloud also focuses on developing digital skills for the next generation with the knowledge they’ll require for the workplace of the future with its successful program for STEM education in local schools.
UKCloud continues to collaborate with the Corsham Institute, a recognised leader in research and social impact, in supporting the delivery of education in primary and secondary schools as well as digital skills development as part of the Institutes lifelong learning programmes. Martin Head, programme director for community programmes, commented “Our long-term association with UKCloud has resulted in significant benefit to both our local communities in Wiltshire as well as the more strategic thought leadership of our St Georges House programme. UKCloud has consistently demonstrated its core commitment to diversity, social inclusion and social impact.”
UKCloud’s commitment to social value was recently formalised as part of its Memorandum of Understanding with Crown Commercial Service. As well as its commitment to nurturing essential digital skills, UKCloud is also committed to supporting British businesses through its 300 strong partner programme, thus driving the creation of new jobs and skills in this high growth sector whilst accelerating the adoption of digital technologies across public services. UKCloud is committed to paying its fair share of taxes to fund public services, as well as going one step further by becoming the first strategic cloud provider to support the Greening government: Sustainable Technology strategy 2020 by delivering carbon negative cloud services.
To learn more or to contact UKCloud about its careers options, visit ukcloud.com/careers
