Tamworth’s Bold IT celebrates latest successes of growing apprenticeship programme

An award-winning West Midlands IT firm which has introduced a raft of apprenticeships since a management buyout five years ago is celebrating the programme’s two latest success stories.

Tamworth-based Bold IT has introduced six apprenticeship courses since brothers Steven and Anthony Brazier took over the business in 2021.

It is now marking the achievements of its two latest success stories, Connor Clark and Tom Kelly, who have both passed their Information Communications Technician Level 3 qualifications.

Other courses the business has invested in include Multi-Channel Marketing Level 3 and HR Level 7 (Masters Degree) – all of which are part of its commitment to providing clear development paths for team members.

Tom said: “I wanted a way into IT that combined real hands-on work with proper structured learning, rather than just classroom theory. The Bold IT apprenticeship route meant I could start supporting clients straight away while working toward a recognised qualification alongside people who actually do the job every day.

“The biggest benefit has been exposure to such a wide range of environments across lots of different clients. That variety pushed me to learn faster than I would have in a single in-house IT team, and the structured evaluation process gave me a clear way to prove that learning.

“The apprenticeship has given me both the technical grounding and the confidence to handle a broad range of first-line issues independently. I’ve gone from learning the basics to being trusted with real client problems, and I now have a proper qualification behind that experience rather than just on-the-job knowledge.

“To anyone else thinking of doing an apprenticeship with Bold IT, I would say go for it! You’ll be thrown into real client work quickly, which can feel daunting at first, but that’s exactly what makes you learn fast. You get genuine support from the team while still being expected to take ownership, which is the best combination for actually developing.”

Connor added: “I wanted to be part of the Bold IT apprenticeship scheme because I was interested in learning while I work and, at an MSP, I could gain a much broader variety of skills than internal positions.

“The programme has helped me build an understanding for the processes I see and use as well as the reasoning behind them being in place. I now have this qualification alongside the experience working in a fast-paced MSP, which has been great.

“To anyone thinking about doing an apprenticeship like this, I would say to try and tackle all different kinds of issues and cases, even if you feel uncomfortable doing so. There is nothing which will make you learn quicker than thinking on the spot to solve an issue you have not seen before.”

Tom now plans to keep progressing through the business’ support lines while building up recognised industry certifications. He has also been working on cyber readiness platform Hack The Box in his own time, to help with his long-term ambition to move into cyber security.

Connor plans to progress to become a second line engineer when he has gained the experience to do so.

Since Steven and Anthony’s MBO, Bold IT has evolved into a managed service provider (MSP) with more than 100 clients in the UK and further afield and moved to its new state-of-the-art premises on the Sandy Hill Business Park in 2023.

It appointed former British Army Major Danny Leitch as managing director as part of its long-term growth strategy earlier this year.

Danny said: “Connor and Thomas are both great members of the team here at Bold and we’re delighted for them that they’ve passed their apprenticeships together.

“Nationally, we know participation in apprenticeships is starting to climb again – but one of the biggest challenges we face as a country is finding jobs for those apprentices.

“It’s why schemes such as ours can help with that challenge, as we’re able to give our apprentices a clear career path from the moment they join us.”