Phil Pounder, November 23rd, 2006
Newcastle-based software company Scott Logic is once more striving to retain top computing talent in the North East, by embracing the opportunity to attract local graduates and students. Scott Logic develops pioneering software solutions for major investment banks and stockbrokers based in London and New York.
Delighted with the success of its summer 2006 internship programme, and with the calibre of the students drawn from local universities, Scott Logic has now begun recruiting for full-time positions through its Graduate Programme.
The two most recent entrants to the Graduate Programme – Graham Odds and Jeff Hall – are thrilled to have found the chance to pursue a top career in the North East, and both are very excited at the opportunities which lie ahead at Scott Logic.
Graham Odds, 21, moved from his Scottish roots in Aberdeen to study Computer Science at Durham University, graduating as the top student of his year in 2006. He said, “I very much enjoyed living in the North-East while I studied at university, and was delighted to gain employment with such an elite company based in central Newcastle.
“I have just started my career at Scott Logic, and already I have found it extremely beneficial to be working alongside experienced programmers with exceptional knowledge and expertise. I am always being given new challenges and enjoying the satisfaction of using the skills I gained at university, while continually developing new ones. There is so much to learn as part of the Graduate Programme, but at the same time I am involved in a lot of essential cutting-edge work for the company.”
Jeff Hall, 21, originally from Norfolk, also graduated in 2006, after studying Computing Science at Newcastle University. He said, “When I first started looking for a software job it seemed as if there was nothing outside of London, and I had never been excited by the idea of moving there, predominantly due to the ‘rat-race’ culture: the stress, the congestion and the expense of living.
“Having studied at university in Newcastle, I had already grown to like the area, and was thrilled when the opportunity came to begin my career at Scott Logic, allowing me to remain in the North-East. Working here I can reap the benefits of a great work-life balance which I believe would be lost if I was working in my rural hometown or the capital city. I have a challenging job using a range of technologies, whilst being able to enjoy all the social benefits of this vibrant city.”
Gary Scott, the Managing Director of Scott Logic, spoke of his delight in welcoming these two new graduates, “One of the prime reasons why we located in the North-East was for the quality of the graduates coming from these truly world class universities. We want to grow our business largely from local university graduates. We are particularly keen on the highest achievers as the complex software we develop requires excellent problem solving skills, and people who can innovate with the most cutting edge technologies.
“Scott Logic is passionate about stopping the graduate brain drain, where the best students graduate and head south. By offering the sort of challenging jobs that the best students crave, we can plug this flow and help make the North-East a highly skilled technology powerhouse for the future.”