Micro Employer of the Year

Leeds-based Complete Computer Systems was set up in 1990 as a one-man operation and has since gone on to employ five members of staff and train five apprentices, one of them currently employed at the organisation.

Bill Lumsden, managing director at Complete Computer Systems believes that ‘on the job’ training, combined with academic knowledge, produces the best technicians, benefiting both the employer and employee.

Bill explains: “Complete Computer Systems supports individuals in a working environment enabling them to gain experience and become truly ‘marketable’. We take great pride in our apprentices; each is given a role model to work with and for, ensuring all our learners gain a comprehensive grounding and knowledge of the business and of our competitors.”

Being a small company, Complete Computer Systems has the added benefit of being able to provide one-to-one on-site training, and a diverse range of skill applications which are not always readily available to learners in larger companies. 

This combined mix of skills, personal development and academic qualifications has enabled many of Bill’s apprentices to progress to much larger companies, gaining roles with more responsibility and higher salaries. Rather than seeing those who leave as a loss, Bill sees them as spreading the word about the services provided by the business.

Almost all of Complete Computer Systems apprentices keep in touch and several of their companies use CCS for service provision, bringing more business and opportunities for learning.
.
Complete Computer Systems is a finalist in the Micro Employer of the Year category in the national Apprenticeship Awards 2007.