NORTHERN POWERHOUSE PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: DORIS IT

Doris Discovers, Develops and Delivers IT, Business and Digital Talent. Since 2012 they have been employing graduates and other new entrants to the Tech Industry. Through upskilling and training ‘Next Generation UK’ to be the workforce of the future, they are building sustainable careers, delivering projects and services at a cost in line with today’s economic challenges. Working with Doris is simple: whether you’re a customer or an employee you are part of the team. Their way of working is specifically designed to keep everybody moving in the right direction, together.

Tell us about your graduate programme:
We ARE different. Our programme, culture and strategy is shaped by the whole workforce, working as one team, connected personally, digitally and socially. As employers we teach but we also listen. Doris employees work through a development programme including funded professional qualifications but it’s the team work and collaboration that make us different including reverse -mentoring which is key as the millennial generation move fast and we have to keep up.
We hire graduates on a full-time, salaried basis and place them on assignment with our customers across the UK, primarily across the North-West. We are committed to finding ambitious, capable individuals and through a tried and tested assessment process we ensure we really get to know the candidates, allowing us to select passionate employees with a strong work ethic and a desire to learn.
By matching grads with the right role and customer environment, they make a difference and add value from day 1. Over the last five years we have saved our customers over £14 million benchmarked against UK published rates.

Are there issues you have had to overcome?
Director Chris McHugh – ‘For the first two years my sales pitch was ‘trust me, you can take an apprentice, graduate or other new entrant and with the right training and mentoring in technology or business from us, they will very quickly be productive and delivering both innovation and cost savings. Now we have a strong delivery track record and all our customers are referenceable. We set out to give sustainable employment to 20 new entrants and we’ve now employed over 150. We’re delivering amazing results, more dynamically and that requires people with skills AND attitude. They’re exceeding all our expectations.’Quotes from Doris Employees:

Matt, Recruitment Manager:
‘I want to grow with our business which is what Doris was set up to do. Graduates are actively involved in the planning and strategy of the business and are helping it move forward everyday. We are a community at Doris and we succeed together.’

Jess, Service and Data Management:
‘When I finished University, I was finding it difficult to both stand out and understand what the role I was applying for actually entailed. It was at this point that I came across Doris IT. Doris focuses heavily on getting young people into the world of IT, to help them get a start in both their career and skill development which was exactly what I needed.’

Emma, Cyber Security Analyst:
‘Building my experience within IT through Doris opens up a wealth of opportunity and I look to use this opportunity to embark on a variety of challenges. I’ve become more open minded with regards to my career progression because my skills are transferrable, I am confident it will continue to be data based. I am now working towards gaining more of a technical understanding to work within Market Research to conduct statistical assessments based on data. I never thought I’d be able to say that 1 year after graduating and that is thanks to Doris.’ Advice from Doris’ers:

Amy, Digital Marketing:
‘With the industry development on-going in the north-west, opportunities for progression are vastly increasing, especially in Tech and on top of the mass of opportunities that already exist, Doris is helping our next generation find roles that no grad would turn down!’