Hard Work Pays Off For IT Apprentice

Brendan Flint will be joining the Gala Tent IT Team, Gala Technology shortly.

20 year old, Brendan Flint has secured a full time position with leading marquee and gazebo manufacturer, Gala Tent.

Originally joining the team as an apprentice in Gala Tent's IT department Brendan has been offered the permanent position of Applications Developer once his apprenticeship is completed.

Taking on the role of Applications Developer, Brendan will help to support the development of back office systems. During his time at Gala Tent Brendan has already redesigned the company's website making it mobile and desktop friendly, developed systems to allow website updates to be carried out seamlessly by various members of staff and helped to integrate a brand new printing app onto the website.

MD of Gala Tent, Jason Mace said: “It’s always rewarding to see our apprentices develop and Callum is no different. For an inexperienced school leaver to work in a business to business environment it can be intimidating, but he really stepped up to the mark and impressed us - we’re looking forward to having him as a full time member of the team.”

The latest government figures show that apprenticeships contributed £3.7bn to the Yorkshire economy 2014. The last year saw a dramatic increase in the number of UK apprentices to 450,000 which has had a positive impact on youth unemployment rates.

Gala Tent has long been an advocate of the apprenticeship scheme, particularly within the IT sector.

Hoping to replicate the success of Brendan’s time at Gala Tent, the company have recently recruited a new IT apprentice, Callum Garbutt.

Callum will study at Barnsley College whilst working at Gala Tent 4 days a week, getting to grips with the company’s IT systems and providing an environment where Callum can grow and develop.

Speaking highly of the company’s successful apprenticeships, Jason Mace added: “Some companies prefer to hire experienced staff, however young people can offer a fresh perspective. Apprenticeships are a great way of helping young people get their foot in the door of a business environment.”