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Our CEO and founder, Euan Blair, was interviewed by EducationInvestor magazine(opens new window) for its May 2017 issue.
We discussed the importance of delivering high quality apprenticeships and WhiteHat’s mission to accelerate careers and develop a diverse group of future leaders. Here are a few highlights and the full article (below).
What does WhiteHat do exactly?
WhiteHat is predominantly a tech start-up with a mission to accelerate careers and develop a diverse group of future leaders. We offer apprenticeship recruitment and training services via our tech platform and bring candidates and employers together to open access to careers which have traditionally been only open to graduates.
How do you aim to ensure a high success rate for employers and students that are placed?
We work with about 100 employers ranging from start-ups to large corporates and the average starting salary our apprentices earn is 210% higher than the apprenticeship minimum wage.
It means not just using someone’s “gut” to determine if a young person is a match for an employer or sector, but gathering the right data, across everything from financial circumstances to aspirations to personality traits, and then using a combination of tech and analysis to inform which opportunities are most suitable.
What do you think is lacking in the UK apprenticeships market?
The quality of delivery has suffered as the sector has focused too much on simply expanding provision. There has also been a lack of innovation and experimentation — far too many organisations are delivering apprenticeships in the same way they were delivering them five years ago. Part of this is down to the fact that apprenticeship organisations need to operate in a highly regulated environment, but also there just hasn’t been enough talent recruited into the sector from different environments.
