The 2020 collegiate graduating class is undoubtedly experiencing a new reality. Campuses have been cleared, lectures have gone virtual, and graduations have been canceled. Many students who were gearing up to land their first entry-level position are left with an influx of uncertainty, and some are even having to re-evaluate their career paths.
Here at Maven Wave, we hope to relieve a little bit of that uncertainty for those pursuing a career as a cloud professional with the launch of our IGNITE development program. IGNITE, jointly run by Atos, Atos Syntel, and Maven Wave, offers entry-level STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) majors the opportunity to participate in a 12-month training program resulting in three Google Cloud certifications and a full-time position with the company.
“We’re humbled by the opportunity to offer employment to recent graduates who are the future of our industry. The Analysts we have hired over the years have proven themselves time and time again to be remarkable additions to the Maven Wave team,” said Amber Bouchard, Talent Acquisition Director for Maven Wave.
As Maven Wave continues to grow, recent graduates will represent about 30% of new employees for the company over the next few months.
How it Works
The IGNITE Graduate Development Program is broken down into three phases, each ending in its own cloud certification. The participants, called Analysts, will follow one of three tracks: software engineering, solution architecture, or cloud platform infrastructure – all building a well-equipped foundation for a cloud career.
- Phase 1 is all about learning the cloud fundamentals that will help our Analysts find their career path within our organization. This is also the time when they’ll learn all about Maven Wave – who we are, what we do, and what makes our unique workforce successful.
- Phase 2 is when they will have the opportunity to put those fundamentals to work. The Analysts take a deep dive into Microservices, programming languages, and DevOps. IGNITE Leads, I-Leads, will guide program participants through training and empower our new grads to attain core cloud technology certifications and get them working directly with our enterprise customers.
- Phase 3 is all about getting that real-world experience. The Analysts will have the opportunity to contribute to our current projects, while getting a first-hand look at the day-to-day life of a cloud consultant. In Phase 3, the participants will select one or more specializations, such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Kubernetes, or Mobile App Development.
At the completion of the program, Analysts will be ready for deployment to our enterprise customer as Cloud Consultants with a home-base of Chicago, IL (Maven Wave’s headquarters) or Irving, Texas (Atos North America’s headquarters).
Attracting the Talent
The IGNITE Program was strategically crafted for the recent graduate looking to pursue a career in cloud. Taking a deeper dive into why the pilot program was imagined this way, we chatted further with Bouchard and IGNITE recruiter, Briana Ramondo.
“At Maven Wave, we create and foster the development of fungible consultants, who are able to flex to the needs of any project. IGNITE is a program that will bridge students’ academic careers with ones in cloud consulting by giving them the tools to be successful,” says Ramondo. “We want to attract new grads who are not yet done learning. We look to mold them into cloud professionals, ready for the ever-changing technical consulting world. “
“Maven Wave has always served as an incredible launching pad for cloud careers, and IGNITE takes that a step further,” says Bouchard. “IGNITE allows us to create jobs for next-generation talent, while embracing the change within the talent market dynamics and creating our own cloud-native workforce.”
Molding junior professionals for a successful career in cloud using real-life case studies, especially during a time when cloud is increasingly critical, gives our new Mavens a unique toolset to be competitive.
“We’re grateful for all IGNITE applications and want to encourage recent graduates of all backgrounds to apply for a role in the dynamic, exciting and impactful cloud industry,” says Bouchard. “As we deliver solutions to support the influx in remote work, telehealth, and e-commerce, we’re working to fill the critical roles that will help us continue to do so.”
Shifting to Digital
That landscape we’re living in is certainly uncharted for many, including our team. A typical April would have been abound with on-campus career events for our recruiting team, but like the rest of the world, we’ve moved to digital to facilitate virtual hiring experiences.
“We have shifted to an entirely virtual experience for campus recruiting,” says Ramondo. “From hosting virtual events and attending virtual careers fairs to interviewing remotely; we have managed to give a full experience without ever being in the same place.”
It takes great flexibility to launch a program like IGNITE during a time when we are not able to showcase our team’s enthusiastic spirit to our candidates in person – but nevertheless, the Maven Wave Recruiting Team isn’t skipping a beat when it comes to providing a welcoming onboarding experience to engage cloud professionals.
“Our team has demonstrated great agility in moving our on-campus and in-office experience to an entirely virtual one,” says Ramondo. “We greet students before interviews on the Google Meet platform, just like we would greet them at the door for an onsite interview. Each student has a trusted recruiter to guide them through our process.”
“With so much changing for students over the last month, they have become accustomed to its challenges and are ready to face them,” notes Bouchard. “Students are eager to move on to another exciting chapter and equipped to adapt to what comes their way next.”
Fittingly enough, that eagerness to learn and jumpstart a career even during a challenging time is exactly what makes a strong Maven, and we’re excited to bring aboard such a unique class of professionals.
We could not be more excited to welcome IGNITE participants to the Maven Wave/Atos family. We’re looking forward to learning from them as much as they will learn from us as we march through this challenging time together.
To learn more about the IGNITE program and how to apply, click here.
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