Banco Santander in the UK is to offer school leavers across the country the opportunity to apply for a Data Science Apprenticeship, billed by the bank as the first of its kind in the banking sector.
Santander says the programme, operated in conjunction with WhiteHat, will enable the bank to build a pipeline of data savvy employees in tune with its EUR20 billion digital transformation effort.
Iain Gallagher, senior manager, emerging talent at Santander says: “At Santander, we recognise that apprenticeships offer people an alternative route into a banking career other that the traditional graduate path. This helps attract talent from all walks of life and ensures the financial services sector as a whole better reflect the communities we serve.”
Founded in 2016, WhiteHat matches non-graduate talent to professional services and digital roles, then delivers job-relevant applied learning over the course of their apprenticeship.
Euan Blair, co-founder and CEO of WhiteHat says: “We’re seeing an increasing number of top employers recognising the value in apprenticeship programmes as a source of attracting and developing incredible talent. Everyone involved will receive a coach to help them fulfill their potential, (and) join technical boot camps designed to turn them into accomplished data specialists.”