Sky Betting to open academy to hold on to the best graduates

The Leeds-based independent online gambling company Sky Betting & Gaming has announced that its graduate software academy is now open for applicants.

The academy programme represents a £1.5m investment and will see around 25 graduates join the company in July 2016.

The programme will last for 12 months and starts with 14 weeks of intensive training. For the remaining nine months, the participants will go through a number of different rotational placements within the company.

They are guaranteed a job with one of the divisions – or ‘tribes’ – at the end of the programme.

A similar programme for those looking at commercial roles will be launched by the company in the next few weeks.

Andy Burton, Sky Betting & Gaming’s CTO, said: “I’m delighted that our software academy has now launched.

“Like many other tech companies in the region we are finding recruiting the right people increasingly difficult. By investing in graduates now we hope to play our part in ensuring there’s a pipeline of tech talent in Yorkshire.

“I look forward to welcoming the first grads in the summer.”

Last week, Sky Betting & Gaming revealed that it had delivered “significant growth” in its last financial year.

Over the year, the company, which is led by CEO Richard Flint, saw its staff numbers increase by 15 per cent to 850 people.