Capgemini to create 1,500 new digital jobs across the UK

French digital transformation specialist Capgemini has announced plans to hire 1,500 new workers in the UK over the next 12 months.

The strategy will focus on recruiting "junior talent" from across the country, the majority of which will be sourced through the company's long-running graduate and apprenticeship scheme.

Both of those programmes already employ almost 600 graduates on average each year, but a further 470 roles will be added for 2021. The new recruits will form a "vital" part of growing the UK's digital talent pool and will receive training in a range of digital and technical services as well as project management and cyber security.

Capgemini said it is also committed to sourcing talent from across the UK by "strengthening" its focus outside of London, adding that many roles will be based in Glasgow, Inverness, Telford, Worthing, Manchester, Liverpool, and Treforest. The new headcount in Scotland alone will be approximately 400, the firm said.

The company said it has "doubled" its planned talent intake for 2021, adding that 2020 proved that digital talent, particularly in the cloud, is now more critical than ever to solve some of today's most pressing issues.

"We are thinking more broadly than ever about where the next generation of talent could come from and how best to nurture it - carefully crafting our programmes to offer exciting and varied long-term careers in the technology industry," Paul Margetts, managing director of Capgemini in the UK.

Inclusivity is a key part of the scheme, according to Capgemini, with critical training and mentoring being provided by partners such as the Prince's Trust and Code Your Future. The Cloud firm worked with 37,000 young people as part of the Code Your Future initiative.

The new recruits will add to Capgemini's 8,800 strong workforce and will represent its biggest operation outside of France and North America.