23rd August 2017
A Belfast student has become the first graduate of a new trainee scheme offered by one of Northern Ireland’s most successful technology firms.
Leah Fullerton (24) was awarded a first class honours degree in computing systems from Ulster University, after studying part-time for four years while working at Kainos.
She joined the company in 2013, which is now listed on the London Stock Exchange, as part of its ‘earn as you learn’ scheme.
“Kainos is a great place to work. It’s a really innovative environment, with plenty of variety day to day,” she said. I’d worried before starting, about how little I knew, but the training and support is brilliant and my colleagues have been so encouraging. The practical experience made the theory behind my degree so much easier to understand and, of course, the fact that I’ve graduated without any student loans is just amazing.”
Kainos boosted sales by almost 10% to £83.5m and says it’s planning to get its software in 1,600 hospitals as it expands further into the US. Kainos, headed by Co Antrim man Brendan Mooney, has now seen six consecutive years of growth of almost 50%.
Speaking about its first graduate, Mr Mooney said: “We’re very proud of Leah’s achievement and of the fact that we’ve been able to support her financially through her university education, while at the same time offering her a practical learning experience.”
There are 30 students studying with the firm’s ‘earn as you learn‘ programme. Kainos says it will increase this number for the 2018 intake of post-A-level students.
