It's official! Softcat is one of the top employers for young people at the beginning of their careers. Announced at the 2017 School Leaver Awards last week, the leading IT infrastructure provider claimed the title of Best Training Provider in partnership with apprenticeship training provider PDS, as well as placing third in the Top Advanced Apprenticeship category. To top off a fabulous success, Softcat rounded off the night by ranking seventh in the Top 100 Employers for School Leavers, sitting alongside big names such as Schroders and Capgemini.

Hailed as the biggest and best awards ceremony of its kind for school and college leavers, the School Leaver Awards are granted based on the real life experiences of apprentices and school leaver trainees. Softcat's accolades recognise their commitment to offering top quality training to the newest members of their team, equipping them for a career in the fast-moving world of IT.

Laura Sneath, Apprentice Programme Lead, said "We love our Softcat graduates and apprentices, they are a huge asset to us and we work hard to invest in them. Our training programme supports a vision to empower and inspire young people, encouraging them at the beginning of their working life. The apprenticeship and graduate schemes have all the tools to equip those at the start of their career, which we understand is a big first step to take, so we are delighted to have been recognised in this way. It's a great acknowledgement of the hard work and commitment of our Training and Development team. I'm hugely proud of them, well done!"

Softcat collected their award at the ceremony in London, where the best UK apprenticeships, school leaver programmes and sponsored degrees were celebrated, along with organisations who have demonstrated excellence in job satisfaction, career progression, training and company culture.

Jack Denton, Director and Co-Founder of AllAboutSchoolLeavers.co.uk praised Softcat for their achievements, "Effective training is a key part of any apprenticeship programme, so Softcat have done brilliantly – congratulations! With the new Apprenticeship Levy introduced this April, there are more programmes than ever for young people to choose from, and many employers will be trying to figure out how best to deliver training on their new schemes.

"This award will help both young people and employers see who's doing the best out there right now."

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