Visit to Northgate Managed Services by HRH The Duke
In the first engagement of the day, His Royal Highness The Duke of York has visited Northgate Managed Services in Newtownabbey to meet with staff and apprentices who are involved in its ICT Apprenticeship Scheme in Northern Ireland .
Northgate Managed Services (Northgate) is a leading provider of IT and cloud enabled technology services to the public and private sectors in the UK . It provides an end-to-end suite of managed services and solutions, including high-end cloud services. It is one of three companies which form the Northgate Informatiof Yorkon Solutions Group which is owned by private equity company KKR.
The Duke of York was greeted by Mrs Joan Christie OBE, Lord Lieutenant of Country Antrim, and went on to meet Mr Andy Ross, Chief Executive, who accompanied HRH during the engagement.
HRH met with senior management and current and former apprentices to hear about the work of Northgate and, in particular, the fact that they were the first IT company to launch an IT Apprenticeship Scheme in Northern Ireland. Supported by the Department for Employment & Learning, the scheme aims to provide an alternative route to employment for school leavers or those who are by-passing university. The company offers school leavers a direct route to develop a long-term career in ICT. Apprentices can expect to ‘earn as they learn’ while studying for their NVQ level two and three IT Practitioner qualifications. Today across the UK over 80 employees are current or former apprentices strengthening Northgate Managed Services as a business but also enhancing the UK economy as a whole.
HRH was invited to sign the visitors’ book before departing for his next engagement.