The Softwerx Advanced Technical Career Development Plan was launched earlier this year and the impact for both staff and the company has been very positive.

- published on 5th May 2020, last updated 23rd November 2020

Earlier this year Softwerx launched a brand-new learning initiative for its Engineering Staff, in the form of an Advanced Technical Career Development programme. The introduction of the programme was received with great enthusiasm by all of the Engineering staff – and the gains made in terms of increased learning have been significant and tangible.

Darren Cutting, Microsoft Technical Services Manager at Softwerx comments, “We’ve always had a very high level of engineering capability and qualifications within the team, but of course we always want to aim higher. We are a professional services business, so in essence, whilst it may be a cliché – our people really are our most valued assets. We sat down with our HR Team earlier this year, with a view to devising an advanced­ career development programme for our engineering team – something that would encourage and reward them, whether they had been in the company five weeks or five years. The uptake has been fantastic – so far we’ve had four engineers pass exams already.”

The latest successes include four of the Softwerx engineering team:

  • Congratulations go to our Support Engineer James Tansley, who has passed multiple exams including his Microsoft AZ500 Azure Security Technologies exam and AZ103 Azure Administrator exam. He shared his enthusiasm for the programme, “This is a great opportunity. We already have strong depth of knowledge across the team and this will enhance it.”
  • Support Engineer Matt Wallis, who recently passed both of his Microsoft exams, commented, “We have a training program that’s better than most companies I’ve seen recently – I’m excited to be taking advantage of the opportunity to train on the job like this.”
  • Harley Butcher, Softwerx Support Engineer, also passed his Microsoft MS100 365 Identity and Services exam and he said, “I’ve managed to utilise the Softwerx training allowance to pass my Microsoft 365 exam first time. The exams I’m doing are going to advance my knowledge, ability and career extensively.”
  • Softwerx Support Engineer, Michael Austin, recently passed his Microsoft MS100 365 Identity and Services exam and he said, “Passing the exam gave me confidence in my knowledge of Microsoft 365 security and encouraged me to learn more.”

All technical engineers at Softwerx can now join the Advanced Technical Career Development scheme, though it is not compulsory. Benefits include those mentioned in the graphic below:

David Smart, Managing Director at Softwerx adds, “Of course, most staff want to advance their careers, but it’s quite a commitment, particularly when some study is often required outside of work. We wanted to give our team that extra push, by allocating time at work for study – and also a pull, through a tangible reward scheme. We know it’s an attractive scheme but we wanted to demonstrate our commitment to learning for each individual. Perhaps the most important point for me – we have no claw-back of funds or money for exams or training if anyone decides to leave the company. My job is to make sure people want to stay and work at Softwerx, not to try and chain them to the desk. This Advanced Career Development Plan is an important part of our strategy at Softwerx to have the most qualified engineers in the country, and to offer the best support services to our customers.”

 

By Faith Akinbo, Microsoft Research Analyst, Softwerx

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