WITH the aim of recruiting and training an IT technician from scratch, Sunderland-based systems and integration specialists Business & Decision - supported by the National Apprenticeship Service in the North East - set out to find the right person to join them.

The firm was referred to learning provider ITec North East Ltd, which helped Business & Decision appoint 19-year-old apprentice Anthony Dunn from Sunderland.

Having three A-levels, including one in computing, Anthony was keen to embark on his first full-time job, while gaining new skills and continuing his education.

Now he is busy looking after the company's IT service desk, building laptops for new service users and providing office-based systems support.

At the same time he is gaining nationally-recognised qualifications in Information Communication Technology (ICT), and is on track to becoming a fully-fledged IT consultant within the next 12 months.

John Leightley, head of information technology at Business & Decision, said: “The apprenticeship programme has given Anthony confidence and a very good grounding in IT systems support.

“Not only does this give us assurance that his professional and personal abilities are of a high enough standard to handle client-facing calls, he knows how to provide the very best in customer service and how his contribution meets the needs of our business. He is proving to be a very valuable asset to our company.”

Anthony said: “I'm so pleased that I decided to progress my career through an apprenticeship. It has given me a foothold in the workplace, professional qualifications and the ability to earn money.”