Manchester-based cyber security firm NCC Group invests in skills with 30 new recruits

Cyber security company NCC Group has invested in its North West and Scottish teams by taking on 30 new recruits from its Software Testing Academy.

Representing the second major intake of graduates from the academy since it launched in 2014, the new starters are now based at the firm’s onshore Software Testing Delivery Centres in Manchester and Edinburgh.

Both facilities provide outsourced UK-based testing services as an alternative to offshore solutions.

NCC Group said its Software Testing Academy, offering a structured development programme and the opportunity to gain hands-on industry experience, is accessible for anyone with transferable skills who is interested in the subject.

The training process is flexible but typically completed over two years.

David Bolton, director at Manchester-headquartered NCC Group, commented: “The Academy has proven to be a very valuable recruitment tool over the last few years.

“It’s imperative that we are able to address the skills gap in the sector and retraining and upskilling ambitious individuals, who might not have been to university or worked in the technology industry before, is an effective way to tackle this issue.”

He continued: “Our onshore facilities offer a high standard of customer service and testing excellence. By immersing our trainees into this environment, with a balance between learning on the job and formal training, we are creating a pipeline of talent who have the knowledge and practical skills to uphold these values.

“I’m confident that we will be able to build on our successes in this area and continue to expand both our Academy and the Delivery Centre teams.”

NCC Group delivery centre tester Nicola Fleming said: “After 22 years in the NHS as a scientist in microbiology, I decided to take the leap to become a test analyst.

“The biggest hurdle I envisaged was that I would be competing with new graduates, but NCC Group appreciated the transferable skills that I had gained throughout my previous career.”

Earlier this year, NCC Group took new new steps to draw more young people into cyber security by signing up to the government-backed CyberFirst initiative.

The firm also expanded its global footprint with the opening of a new office in South East Asia.