Fintech
Embark celebrates the first graduates of the fintech skills school in Dundee
Boarding Dundee office building
Dundee-based financial services firm Embark, part of Bank of Scotland owner Lloyds Group, has marked the graduation of its first cohort from fintech skills school.
Last November, the specialist training facility at Embark, in West Marketgait, recruited graduates and people undergoing career changes into junior software developer roles, as part of its commitment to the local economy by investing in developing careers in technology .
Now nearing the end of their customized course, the 11 graduates will move into permanent roles as software engineers.
Following the success of the inaugural programme, Embark now plans to recruit a new cohort for the intensive training and development course led by its fintech specialists.
The technological school is led by Rose Ulldemolinswho built her career in technology within Lloyds Banking Group after retraining as a software engineer.
Ms Uldemolins said: “It has been amazing to see how everyone has gone from day one to here, and how the experiences they have had as individuals and as a group have had such a positive impact on different levels.
“I am extremely proud of their commitment and they have all played a role in how we will be able to help shape and evolve the program.”
One of the first graduates, Gemma Granthe was working part-time in the retail sector while studying and took the opportunity to participate in the technology school programme.
She said: “I was thinking of going back to university to do a Masters and when I saw the description of the training and what the roles were, I took a leap of faith, I jumped at the chance and I’m so happy I did . “
Likewise, Toby Keech he enrolled in the technology school as an exercise and sports science major who had worked as a personal trainer.
He said: “I was looking for a new way to learn and challenge myself and felt that even though I didn’t have a tech background, bringing a different perspective was really valued and we were being trained by experts who could get the best out of us all. “
Jackie LeiperCEO of Embark Group, said: “Dundee is the heart of digital development, not just in Scotland but around the world, and we want to build local capabilities at the heart of our business to help us create the kind of experiences and products that Our clients want to draw on different types of skills.
Part of a wider initiative launched in 2020 which aims to bring 150 new jobs to Dundee, supported by Scottish Enterprise, the tech school was created to help address the serious skills and recruitment challenge for tech businesses globally national, with one in 10 new technology-related job openings in the UK.