How can entry-level talent get ready for the workplace?

Learn how we support our Academy Consultants and ensure they deliver their best while supporting your teams

Our training at the Ten10 Academy is second to none because it’s delivered by technical consultants with decades of experience. Once that training is completed, our Academy Consultants support tech teams just like yours to help bring your solutions to life. But the transition from training to project work is an important one – how does someone who has never written code before transform into someone ready to work in your organisation?

We’re taking you behind the scenes of the Ten10 Academy to see how we help Academy Consultants as they make that important transition, with insight from people who have completed our Academy training.

We provide career coaching and guidance

Our career coaches are always willing to help Academy Consultants, no matter how small a request. These are people who have completed the Academy training, joined our practice, and know the ups and downs of working in tech. That way they can celebrate the ups – acknowledging personal growth and professional success – while supporting them through the downs – whether that’s a difficult problem they’re struggling to solve or facets of a project that are beyond their control.

Of course, technical skills are only half of the support we provide – we also coach our talent to adopt the workplace skills necessary to join a client for the first time. Teamwork, problem-solving, and time management are just some of the qualities we look for when people apply to our Academy, and we ensure these skills carry through to every client project and team that they join.

From our consultants: Sneha Samaymantry

It’s OK to be nervous. You’ll get over it as you start understanding the process. Be patient! Never gossip or criticise others and always ask for constructive feedback so you can improve. Be proactive and appreciate any work well done and be genuinely interested in how your team works.

We provide a buddy system and wide pastoral care

Tight deadlines and detailed project work can feel like a challenge for people just starting their careers to feel overwhelmed. While some talent joins us as a career change or return to work, others are fresh out of university or college and are brand new to the workplace environment that many of us take for granted. That’s why we run a buddy system to pair new Academy Consultants with experienced members of our wider Consultancy team so they can grow and learn in a trusted environment.

Every member of our Academy wellbeing team is also a mental health first aider, here to help our newest consultants navigate the start of their careers. We’re proud that we’ve grown a culture of flexibility and support, so anyone can reach out and ask a question or have a conversation to help them grow – whether that’s with fellow people from their Academy cohort or a Principal Consultant with over a decade of industry experience.

From our consultants: Erica Figueiredo

Always have a positive mindset, communicate effectively with your team, and ask questions if in doubt. And most importantly: do not forget work-life balance as working remotely you can sometimes forget to look after yourself and separate work from personal life.

We promote continuous learning and development

When we recruit people into the Ten10 Academy, we’re looking for inquisitive people who are always solving problems and asking questions. That shouldn’t stop after the initial training has been completed. We like to think that Academy Consultants finish their training knowing what they know, but also knowing what they don’t know. That way they follow their aptitude and know what questions to ask to push themselves further when they are deployed into an organisation.

Technology is constantly evolving, so our Academy Consultants are encouraged to own and drive their own development as they see opportunities to grow in the workplace. This could be shadowing someone already in our organisation who is completing project work that interests them or completing a new industry qualification. Take Dan for example, who we helped gain a Foundation Certificate in Business Analysis through Pearson VUE. If an Academy Consultant identifies a course that will help prepare them for the workplace, we’re more than happy to discuss how we can support their enrollment and further development.

From our consultants: Mohammed Khan

Be a sponge. Try and learn all you can. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, that’s how we all learn.

Our community of practice supports consultants of all levels

Our consultancy team is filled with experienced technologists who have spent years working with clients across the country and a wide variety of sectors, from legal and finance to retail and the public sector. They’re the backbone of a community of practice for our entry-level talent to lean on and learn from.

Our team regularly hosts ‘lunch and learn’ sessions so people from all teams and departments can improve their technical knowledge and we have a dedicated intranet covering Tenology®, our home-grown methodology for delivering our industry-leading services and solutions. We have dedicated spaces for our teams to offer help depending on their field of knowledge, so there’s always an opportunity for Academy Consultants to learn more about quality engineering, automation, or business analysis from someone who has completed the work before.

From our consultants: Asim Akhtar

Don’t be afraid to speak up on calls and ask questions if you are unsure of something. Chances are there are other people who have the same questions and are glad you’ve asked.