Umit Ekinoglu is an Application Development New Associate for Accenture Technology. Since joining Accenture as part of the Apprenticeship Programme, Umit has consistently demonstrated an inspiring dedication to his work and a deep desire to learn. Furthermore, Umit has positioned himself as a ‘go to’ person for a range of responsibilities, building upon his experience and using it to empower others.

Umit’s journey to his current position is not only impressive, but also a reminder that we can achieve anything we want when we truly set our minds to the task at hand.

He grew up in Annitsford, a small rural village located in North Tyneside, close to Cramlington, where he attended high school. The school provided a stable learning environment for Umit and enabled him to realise his goal of attending University, making him the first of his family to do so.

Initially, Umit considered a career in the sports industry, but after completing his degree in Sport and Exercise Science, he struggled to find his place in the world.

While he had always been interested in computers, it wasn’t until he discovered the Movement to Work Get into Digital programme that Umit began to think about a career in technology. The two-week Get into Digital programme opened his eyes to the potential of a tech-based career, and improved Umit’s self-confidence and belief in his own abilities. This is something Umit had battled with throughout his whole life, as he would often attribute success to good luck rather than his own hard work and determination.

Following his completion of the Get into Digital programme, Umit unfortunately learned he had just missed the recruitment window for the Accenture Apprentice Programme. He was advised to continue improving his computer skills, work on his confidence and communication skills, and apply for the programme in a year’s time. He immediately enrolled in a Computing course at Newcastle College, enthusiastically throwing himself into his studies. Umit also stayed in touch with people he had met during the Get into Digital programme, including Accenture staff, updating them with his progress and the status of his apprenticeship application.

The tutors at Newcastle College always had great things to say about Umit, noting his attendance and his dedication and application to his studies were second to none.

”After a year of studying, Umit was invited to an Assessment Centre, and successfully gained a place on the Accenture Apprenticeship Programme. The programme allowed Umit to undertake his Degree Apprenticeship studies and full-time employment, which provided what he calls a “priceless experience”.

Umit was quite nervous when he joined the Apprenticeship programme due in part to the large gaps in his knowledge in relation to the area of computing he was studying. His mentor warned him about the extremely steep learning curve of DevOps but notes that since day one, Umit was always very keen to learn and flourished in all aspects of his work. His mentor recognises Umit as an outstanding apprentice who started producing work for use in the production environment within a few months of working within the DevOps team. During his apprenticeship, Umit created the team’s monitoring and dashboard system, took the lead on the team’s automated VPN deployment and helped improve security for users, and successfully passed his AWS Cloud Practitioner exam. This was all in addition to his college work, and his mentor rightfully acknowledges his success as an “impressive feat”.

Umit didn’t use the Apprenticeship to just advance his technical skills however, as he wisely leveraged the opportunity to work with a variety of people to improve his confidence and communication skills. Umit’s mentor notes that during the programme, Umit would lead stand-up presentations, and he is now known as the ‘go to’ guy for several tasks such as VPN requests.

At present, Umit is an essential member of a DevOps team working on an important government account. He is AWS Certified and able to steer his career in the direction he wants to take it. He’s building truly innovative experiences for the client, and his day to day work varies greatly. From securing virtual machines in the cloud, to issuing certificates and credentials, Umit loves the diversity of the work and its challenging nature.

Yet his passion for technology and computing does not stop there, as he not only taught himself C# in his spare time but also created technical workshops on basic HTML, CSS and Java. These workshops are now used by the same Movement to Work programme Umit completed, and Umit is on hand during open days to explain his journey to new participants and reveal how the Apprenticeship programme changed his life.

Umit has achieved quite a lot in the short time since he joined the Get into Digital programme, but his self-admitted proudest achievement speaks volumes to his character: the change and impact he has made on others by getting involved with career fairs, the Get into Digital programme and technical workshops. Umit knows how difficult it can be to find a career you’re truly passionate about, but he’s successfully completed this journey and understands what it takes to excel. He now has what it takes to inspire and nurture ideas in other people, so they feel positive about their decisions and empowered to achieve anything they put their mind to. Helping young people to imagine for themselves all that they can do and accomplish, this is Umit’s proudest achievement.