May 8, 2014 - Capita Managed IT Solutions has announced that it is to create 400 jobs in a £29.9m investment over the next three years.
The company was formed in 2013 when Capita plc acquired Northgate Managed Services Ltd. It provides cloud, infrastructure and ICT managed services for public, private and third sector organisations across the UK.
Announcing the investment during a visit to the company's offices in Newtownabbey, First Minister the Rt Hon Peter D Robinson MLA said: "Today's announcement of 400 new high quality jobs at Capita will bring the total employed to 945 and it will deliver an additional £13.75m a year in salaries into the economy. This substantial reinvestment will build on the existing capability of the Newtownabbey centre and underscores Capita's commitment to Northern Ireland.
"In the last six weeks Invest NI has announced that its support will help create over 2,600 new jobs. This is fantastic news for all of Northern Ireland with jobs being created in Newtownabbey, Londonderry, Portadown, Antrim, Carrickfergus, Belfast and Tyrone. It is the direct result of hard work and a continued focus on promoting Northern Ireland as a place to invest and a great location to grow your business.
"Recent announcements highlight the huge potential for economic growth. I will seek to ensure continued and targeted investment in skills, enterprise, innovation and economic infrastructure to enable us to attract and secure further quality investment on which we can build our economy."
Invest Northern Ireland, the regional business development agency, has offered £4m of support for the new jobs, which will bring the total employment at the Newtownabbey site to 945. In addition, the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) in Northern Ireland has offered £1.2m of training support under its Assured Skills programme.
Ed Brown, managing director of Capita Managed IT Solutions, said: "The business is seeking to grow its customer base, expand its service range and significantly increase its service delivery capabilities in Northern Ireland. This investment is part of our strategy for achieving these objectives.
"Given the opportunities in the marketplace and the quality of services and people already in place, we believe that we can reach our growth targets. Invest NI's support is critical to enabling us to quickly recruit the new staff we need, while the support from DEL will ensure that we can provide an excellent training programme to develop a pipeline of staff with the IT and Management skills required to support our business' growth."
Also in attendance were Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister, Arlene Foster and Employment and Learning Minister, Dr Stephen Farry.
Welcoming the announcement Arlene Foster said: "An investment of this scale will deliver significant benefits, not just for the company and for the ICT sector, but for the economy as a whole.
"The average salary of jobs associated with this expansion is well in excess of the Northern Ireland private sector median wage and they offer a variety of employment opportunities for a range of job seekers including school leavers, returners to work and graduates. Moreover, the extensive training programme for the new staff will contribute to the development of Northern Ireland's skills base.
"Capita's investment here will undoubtedly strengthen our ability to attract further inward investment in the IT and business services sector, which are recognised as key markets in promoting economic growth."
Employment and Learning Minister, Dr Stephen Farry added: "This investment by Capita emphasises the importance of the availability of a highly skilled labour force to support business growth and expansion particularly in key growth sectors such as IT.
"My Department's Assured Skills programme will provide a package of support including tailored training and development programmes to ensure Capita has the skilled workforce they require. Training for this significant jobs announcement will be focused on management skills and sector recognised IT qualifications including Oracle and Cisco aimed at a range of job seekers including new entrants to the labour market."
