Plan includes training and hiring hundreds of highly skilled digital engineers, graduates and apprentices in Leeds and Northern Ireland to help drive digital transformation of UK’s public and private sector

Cognizant has made a significant commitment to expanding its UK-based workforce of highly skilled digital engineers, graduates and apprentices by more than 2,500 through to 2025, representing a 35% expansion. The company will also open two new delivery centres in Leeds and Northern Ireland.

The two locations were chosen due to their proximity to local universities, talent and Cognizant’s client base. Cognizant is planning to focus on hiring employees with existing digital engineering expertise but also develop these skills through its graduate and apprenticeship intake, helping junior talent kick-start a career in technology. Cognizant plans to hire and train graduates and apprentices in programming skills, such as Java, .NET, Python, PEGA; data analytics; digital customer experience skills; and cloud capabilities for Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud.

Expanding its UK-based workforce will allow Cognizant to offer its UK clients more direct access to highly skilled experts to help them solve their most important business challenges. This means clients will be able to better achieve their digital transformation goals, focus on innovation to grow new revenue streams, serve their own customers better, and reduce costs.

“Clients across the UK’s private and public sector rely on Cognizant to help them modernise their businesses,” said Rob Walker, MD, UK&I, Cognizant. “Our new delivery centres in Leeds and Northern Ireland will help us attract and nurture the best and brightest digital engineering talent from across the whole country to help our clients solve their most important business challenges.”

Today’s announcement builds on the company’s long-standing commitment to improving social mobility through programmes that encourage STEM education in primary and secondary schools, as well as attracting a diverse workforce.

For almost 20 years, Cognizant has had a presence in the UK, which today is its second largest market by revenue, and among its fastest growing. The company provides professional services to some of the country’s largest businesses across various industries and public sector bodies including HMRC, Home Office, NHS, MOD, Financial Conduct Authority, Network Rail, British Business Bank, and Financial Ombudsman Service. Cognizant was also recently awarded two of the first major awards under the HMRC’s Technology Sourcing Programme (TSP), which is focused on increasing value for money and delivering innovation for HMRC by addressing around £900m per annum of IT spend.

Cognizant has also provided critical IT services underpinning the UK government’s most important digital initiatives, including:

• Certification Program for the NHS Covid Pass
• a cross-government digital programme that enabled the freight and haulage industry to be ready for the new border-crossing requirements post the Brexit transition deadline
• helping Social Work England build systems for the legal certification and management of social works to help make better decisions about children’s care.

Cognizant is also the title sponsor and digital transformation partner of Aston Martin’s Formula One™ team, having entered into a multi-year partnership earlier this year.