We Are Randox | Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Week 2022 with Kane McIlroy
We Are Randox | Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Week 2022 with Kane McIlroy
Did you know that 7th – 11th February 2022 marks Apprenticeship Week in Northern Ireland?
The initiative from the Department for the Economy offers an opportunity through a dedicated week of events and promotional activity to demonstrate how apprenticeships work for individuals, business, communities and the wider economy.
To mark the week, we spoke to one of our Randox apprentices, Kane McIlroy, to find out more about his role, what he enjoys about the apprenticeship, and his advice for young people considering a career in software engineering.
Name: Kane McIlroy
Job: Software Engineering Apprentice
Department: Randox Engineering
Kane, what are the main duties of your role?
My current role is a Software Developer in the Randox Engineering R&D department. I have a keen interest in software development and in my role, I have had the opportunity to use various programming techniques. I work as part of a software team in which I write code and collaborate with others to create intuitive, responsive applications that allow users to interact with the Randox testing machines.
What and where you studied and why you chose the apprenticeship route?
I am enrolled in a Higher-level Apprenticeship with the Northern Regional College in Ballymena, where I am studying a foundation degree in Computer Science alongside my work at Randox. At Cambridge House Grammar School I studied Technology and Design for A-Level and it was during this time that I became very interested in IT. My interest in technology led me to work in Curry’s Electrical Retail Store where I was very often placed in the computer department due to my interest. I was trained in the shop’s range of hardware, software, equipment, and products. The Apprenticeship with Randox also gives me the opportunity to earn while I am still learning which is great. It means I have no student debt which is such a bonus!
What top three things you love about your job?
- As a Software Developer writing code, you will often be faced with bugs that need fixed. I really enjoy coding and the problem-solving that is involved in trying different ideas to implement the most efficient solution.
- I have had the opportunity to work on very exciting projects for a range of different Randox machines. Many of these have involved robotics, which are fascinating to work with as they allow me to implement code that instructs the machines to perform specific physical actions.
- Working in a diverse and experienced engineering team gives me the opportunity to continuously learn and challenge myself and this drives me to learn new coding skills.
What advice would you give to someone considering an apprenticeship route?
I would recommend the apprenticeship route as it is a fantastic opportunity to work, learn, and earn, all at the same time. You will get hands-on experience in a real job without having to give up your education. Financially an apprenticeship has great benefits as it provides a fully funded education without the burden of student loans. You gain experience that employers want, which will help with your future career. You also learn directly from experienced individuals working in your chosen industry and have access to their support, which helps you gain the skills and knowledge you require to achieve your goals. If the apprenticeship role is something you’re interested in and are passionate about, I would highly recommend it as an excellent career path!
We are delighted to have Kane with us at Randox as part of our Apprenticeship Scheme.
For more We Are Randox stories about our amazing colleagues, make sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and follow the hashtag #WeAreRandox.
For further information about Apprenticeships at Randox please email RandoxPR@randox.com or phone 028 9442 2413.
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We Are Randox | Randox IT team win Company of the Year at Belfast Telegraph’s IT Awards
06 November 2021: Randox IT win IT Company of the Year at the Belfast Telegraph IT Awards 2021
A massive congratulations to the Randox IT team who won the most coveted category of Overall IT Company of the Year at the Belfast Telegraph IT Awards on Friday 5th November 2021.
The event from the Belfast-based media outlet, is an annual showcase of the finest that the Northern Ireland IT industry has to offer with both IT agencies and in-house IT teams vying for the chance to be crowned among the best their respective fields.
As well as winning IT Company of the Year, the Randox team also took home three other awards – triumphing in the categories of Digital Project of the Year, IT Project of the Year and IT Team of the Year.
Commenting on Randox’s achievements, the judging panel said: “While there were a number of very strong contenders, the judges felt that Randox were worthy winners of the Overall IT Company of the Year because of the way in which the team at Randox worked together at speed, to rise to the challenge of Covid.
“They were able to deliver a highly effective end-to-end solution to support the nationwide testing programme on a 24/7 basis, which has been hailed as a significant success in the fight against Covid-19.”
See an overview of their applications below.
In early 2020 Randox, the largest diagnostics company from the UK, recognised the threat from COVID-19 and based on almost 40 years of experience, developed a test to identify the virus in a greatly accelerated timeframe of just two weeks.
Faced with unprecedented demand for testing to curb the spread of the virus, the company stepped up to support the UK Government’s National COVID-19 Testing Programme without hesitation.
Armed with world-leading testing technology and expertise, the next step for Randox was to scale its capacity and infrastructure.
Growing from an initial testing capacity of just 150 samples on the first day of COVID testing in March 2020, to now a capacity of 500,000 COVID samples per day, Randox has to date tested almost 20 million samples across the National Testing Programme and private testing for international travel.
These accomplishments would not have been possible without the Randox IT team, who responded quickly in an ever-evolving situation and introduced a full end-to-end testing process inclusive of logistics, sample registration, accessioning and results reporting, for tens of thousands of daily tests.
The development of platforms such as an online sample kit registration portal, intelligent robotics automation, and an informatic lab workflow management system, all designed and developed entirely in-house, showcases the knowledge, expertise, responsiveness and overall capability within Randox IT.
Examples of innovative systems developed in-house by the Randox IT team include but are not limited to;
- Online sample collection kit registration portal
- Robust accessioning platform for sample receipt and chain of custody
- End-to-end digital and informatic laboratory workflow management solution
- Robotics for intelligent process automation
- Fully automated result communication system
- Intelligent data management
- Diagnostic algorithm development
Each of these innovative and re-deployable platforms has been scaled across a number of different testing services. Initially intended for Randox’s new 80,000 sqft of molecular laboratory space at the company’s headquarters in Antrim, the systems are also in use across newly built adaptive labs in Manchester and London, in mobile testing vans at key airport locations, and in a number of walk-through and drive-through testing clinics across the UK and Ireland.
The improvements in IT automation, robotics and software capabilities, have enabled Randox to upscale its testing capability like no other – growing the company to be amongst the largest COVID-19 testing laboratories in Europe.
The finals for the Belfast Telegraph IT Awards 2021 took place on Friday 5th November 2021 in The Mac, Belfast. To find out more click here.
Congratulations to the Randox IT team!
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We Are Randox | Charlotte Dixon World Indoor Rowing Champion
02 November 2021
Charlotte Dixon: Covid Scientist and World Indoor Rowing Champion
One of our favourite things about our We Are Randox series of staff interviews is the opportunity we are given to find out about the unique and interesting talents of our colleagues.
From creative bakers to melodious musicians, motivated youth leaders to athletic sportspeople, many of our staff are just as busy outside of the office as they are in it.
Take Covid Scientist Charlotte Dixon for example. During working hours Charlotte spends time in our Covid-19 testing laboratories – reviewing results before they are sent to the patient, helping her team with any issues they face, and compiling performance reports for management – but outside of work she is impressively the World Indoor Rowing Champion in the women’s U23 500m sprint, having beaten experienced competitors from Denmark, Egypt and Europe in the prestigious World Indoor Rowing Championships.
We caught up with Charlotte to find out about her intense training regime, her goals for the future of her rowing career, and her advice for anyone wanting to try a new sport or hobby.
1. Hi Charlotte, can you tell us about your job at Randox and the main responsibilities of the role?
I work in the Covid-19 Labs at the Randox Science Park in Antrim, as a Reviewer for a type of testing called qPCR. As a Reviewer I load plates of samples on to the machines which perform sample analysis to produce a negative or positive COVID result, and then review the results to ensure they are sent out correctly to the patient.
I am also the Shift Lead for my team, for which the main responsibility is to organise the shift and delegate any jobs that need done, ensuring I appropriately deal with any issues that may arise and communicate with the managers to resolve any problems.
2. What does a typical day look like in your role at Randox?
Depending on whether I’m doing a day or night shift, my day starts at 8am or 8pm with a handover meeting with the managers and other shift leads to discuss any points that need to be noted or carried forward from one shift to the next, and then the two labs for which I am a Shift Lead get deep cleaned. The 12 hour shifts normally involve a mixture of test scanning, witnessing and loading plates of samples, as well as reviewing results. Once I have written the shift report, the day/night finishes with a final tidy of the lab and another meeting with the team managing the next shift, to discuss the report and any issues to be passed on.
3. What was your educational / career background to get to this role?
I studied Biomedical Science at Ulster University Coleraine and graduated in 2019. Once graduated I took time out to focus on my equestrian ambitions and during this time I got the opportunity to compete internationally several times. Unfortunately, Covid-19 halted all competitions, but then the chance to work at Randox arose, and I jumped at the opportunity to put my science background to use.
4. What do you enjoy most about the job and what do you find most challenging?
During the pandemic I was grateful that my role in Covid testing meant I was able to play a direct role in the fight against the pandemic. However, I always say the best part about my job is the people I get to work with. I’ve made some amazing friends in this job and they really can make those long night shifts that little bit easier.
5. Tell us a bit about your title of “World Indoor Rowing Champion” – when and how did you receive this accolade?
Finishing University in 2019 I joined my local gym, Gladiator Training, in the aim to get fitter to benefit my horse riding, which I have done since I was little. I signed up to a 12-week indoor rowing programme and things really just went from there. At the end of 2019 I entered the Irish Indoor Rowing Championships for a bit of fun and won 2 races, before going on to place in the British Championships a few weeks later.
In 2020 things were a little different due to Covid restrictions but thankfully Indoor Rowing events could be held virtually. In December I won both the British and European U23 500m Championships, qualifying me for the World Indoor Rowing Championships.
After I qualified for the World’s, I was granted Elite athlete status which allowed me to train with my Coach at the gym even when restrictions meant it wasn’t open to the public. My training was so focused, and it was during this time that I made the most progress and realised how much I appreciate being able to train every day.
The World Indoor Rowing Championships, due to be held in California, was also held virtually due to restrictions. I had the fastest qualifying time going into the race and finished in Gold with a personal best time of 1:31.6 against competitors from across the world.
6. What does your training involve?
I train for 2 hours, 5-6 days a week. This is either at 5am before day shifts, 4pm before night shifts or 9am on days off. Working long hours means I have to be quite flexible with when I do my training, but I’m pretty used to it by now. What I do during training can vary quite a lot and depends on what type of competition I’m prepping for. In preparation for the World Championships, I rowed 2-3 days a week and then did a large amount of weight training on the other days to increase strength and sprint capacity.
7. What’s up next in your indoor rowing career?
Quite a lot of exciting things actually! I am currently preparing for the Irish indoor Rowing Championships held in Limerick on 20th November. This is my first year in the Senior category so I’m excited to try to go for Gold in multiple races. I have also just been accepted onto the British Rowing World Class Start Squad, a programme set up to find and train future Olympians. Rowing on water is something I have never done but I am so excited to give this a shot and see where it takes me!
8. Can you tell us a little bit about your equestrian interests and achievements?
I have been so fortunate to have had the opportunity to ride horses since as long as I can remember. I compete mainly in Eventing, which involves Dressage, Showjumping and Cross-Country – a bit like a triathlon for horses! Over the years I have notched up a few major titles including an U18 International Win, a Senior International Win (at only 19 years old), several other International placings and winning Team Gold at the Student Rider World Finals in Switzerland.
9. How do you juggle your time between work, rowing and equestrianism?
Juggling my time can be a bit difficult. Training on top of 12-hour shifts makes for extremely long days. I am so lucky though that I have an incredible team of people who support me with the horses and keep their fitness regimes up during competition season whilst I’m at work, leaving me to focus on riding them on my 4 days off. Riding and training are easy when they’re so enjoyable and I think that is the secret to juggling everything!
I’m very appreciative of the opportunities I’ve been offered at Randox and how accommodating they have been when it has come to my training schedule and I’m so excited for what the future holds with both my future sporting and working careers!
10. How do you like to relax when you have time in your busy schedule?
I really enjoy training and riding so I rarely feel like I need a ‘break’ from it but when I’m not working I just love going out for dinner to relax. I just enjoy eating lots of nice food.
11. What advice would you give to someone who wanted to try a new sport or hobby, or take one they have already to the next level?
I think whenever you take up a new hobby or sport you may not enjoy it that much at first, as chances are you won’t be very good at it! The key is to persevere and also find people who make it fun. A community of supportive people is the best thing about any sport. If you want to push yourself to the next level you just have to be prepared to work hard and do things that you haven’t done before. That’s how you’re going to make progress at the end of the day.
We are delighted to have Charlotte with us at Randox as part of our COVID-19 testing programme.
For current vacancies at Randox please visit randox.getgotjobs.co.uk
For more We Are Randox stories about our amazing colleagues, make sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and follow the hashtag #WeAreRandox.
For further information please contact Randox PR by emailing randoxpr@randox.com
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We Are Randox | Randox IT is shortlisted in the Belfast Telegraph IT Awards 2021
19 October 2021: Randox IT Team is shortlisted in the Belfast Telegraph IT Awards 2021
Congratulations to the Randox IT department who have been shortlisted in four categories at the Belfast Telegraph IT Awards 2021.
The event from the Belfast-based media outlet, is set to be a showcase of the finest that the Northern Ireland IT industry has to offer with both IT agencies and in-house IT teams vying for the chance to be crowned among the best their respective fields.
Randox IT have been shortlisted for Digital Project of the Year, IT Team of the Year, IT Project Team of the Year, and Covid Response for their work on the development of IT systems required for nationwide COVID testing, playing a critical role in the fight against COVID-19.
See an overview of their applications below.
In early 2020 Randox, the largest diagnostics company from the UK, recognised the threat from COVID-19 and based on almost 40 years of experience, developed a test to identify the virus in a greatly accelerated timeframe of just two weeks.
Faced with unprecedented demand for testing to curb the spread of the virus, the company stepped up to support the UK Government’s National COVID-19 Testing Programme without hesitation.
Armed with world-leading testing technology and expertise, the next step for Randox was to scale its capacity and infrastructure.
Growing from an initial testing capacity of just 150 samples on the first day of COVID testing in March 2020, to now a capacity of 500,000 COVID samples per day, Randox has to date tested almost 20 million samples across the National Testing Programme and private testing for international travel.
These accomplishments would not have been possible without the Randox IT team, who responded quickly in an ever-evolving situation and introduced a full end-to-end testing process inclusive of logistics, sample registration, accessioning and results reporting, for tens of thousands of daily tests.
The development of platforms such as an online sample kit registration portal, intelligent robotics automation, and an informatic lab workflow management system, all designed and developed entirely in-house, showcases the knowledge, expertise, responsiveness and overall capability within Randox IT.
Examples of innovative systems developed in-house by the Randox IT team include but are not limited to;
- Online sample collection kit registration portal
- Robust accessioning platform for sample receipt and chain of custody
- End-to-end digital and informatic laboratory workflow management solution
- Robotics for intelligent process automation
- Fully automated result communication system
- Intelligent data management
- Diagnostic algorithm development
Each of these innovative and re-deployable platforms has been scaled across a number of different testing services. Initially intended for Randox’s new 80,000 sqft of molecular laboratory space at the company’s headquarters in Antrim, the systems are also in use across newly built adaptive labs in Manchester and London, in mobile testing vans at key airport locations, and in a number of walk-through and drive-through testing clinics across the UK and Ireland.
The improvements in IT automation, robotics and software capabilities, have enabled Randox to upscale its testing capability like no other – growing the company to be amongst the largest COVID-19 testing laboratories in Europe.
The finals for the Belfast Telegraph IT Awards 2021 will take place on Friday 5th November 2021 in The Mac, Belfast and all finalists can be viewed here.
Good luck to the Randox IT department!
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We Are Randox | Tech Trailblazer Margaret Le Roux
Tech Trailblazers: Margaret Le Roux
Sync NI, in celebration of Women in Tech, recently spoke with our IT Operations Team Leader Margaret.
Read on as Margaret share’s her typical day, the favourite thing about her job, and how her specialist role at Randox combines a degree in Biomedical Science with a passion for software development.
Name: Margaret Le Roux
Role: IT Operations Team Leader, Randox Laboratories
Biography:
I graduated from the University of Rhodesia (now known as Zimbabwe), as a Biomedical Scientist in 1980. My career in South Africa was then predominantly in the clinical laboratory medicine field, and I qualified as a Technical Assessor for clinical laboratories through the South African National Accreditation System. I moved to Belfast in 2014 and started work with Randox.
What does your typical day look like?
I work in an IT Operations role bridging our science and quality control software, which assesses the accuracy and reliability of blood tests, and the machines they are run on, in the likes of hospitals, laboratories, and veterinary clinics. On a typical day, I deal with customer queries about this software, troubleshoot the issues, and drive new developments to improve our systems and applications. I also spend time training Randox staff, mentoring some of my junior colleagues, and speaking at Biomedical Science Conferences to educate others in the industry about the importance of quality control software.
What are you currently working on?
I’m currently working on the specification for our external quality assessment software, which involves a mock blood sample being run in a laboratory’s analyser, and the result being sent back to Randox so that we can independently check that it is performing correctly.
I have also been working on the software project that saw Randox win ‘Project Team of the Year’ at the 2019 Belfast Telegraph IT Awards. This cloud-based quality control technology was specifically designed for ‘Point of Care’ machines which provide finger prick blood tests for conditions like heart disease and diabetes, in pharmacies, GP surgeries and A&E departments.
Did you always want to work in the tech industry?
I have been very lucky that my specialist role at Randox combines my degree in Biomedical Science, and my experience in QC, with my passion for software development. In South Africa, I worked as a Quality Officer for a large private laboratory, with 3 main laboratories and over 100 peripheral sites across 10 African countries. The management of quality control data was a huge job and as such I became interested in a software program that could assist the lab with this task.
What inspired you to join Randox in particular?
Whilst working in South Africa, I was one of Randox’s customers, and made extensive use of their quality control products. Randox has always had a very good reputation in South Africa so when I moved to Belfast it was a natural choice for me.
What’s your favourite part about your work?
It’s a great feeling when we introduce a new release to our software and you know that the customers are going to benefit from it.
What would you say to other people considering a job in the tech industry?
A job in the tech industry is simultaneously exciting and challenging, as each day brings something new. You will continually be making improvements and striving to make something better, which is a good work ethic. It’s really satisfying when you are part of a team which develops a software program that is so well accepted in the market and useful to the customer.
How do you see this technology impacting on our lives?
The technology industry is so fluid and moving at such a fast pace, and there are developments across all industries which are making our lives easier. At Randox in particular, our software is helping a range of healthcare professionals – whether laboratory technicians, clinicians or veterinarians – to achieve our shared goal of saving and improving the lives of patients. It’s rewarding to know we are making a difference.
Who inspired you to work in this field?
In the field of Quality Control, I was inspired by Dr Pandelani Rambau, a Clinical Pathologist from Johannesburg. In IT, it was a colleague Sean Dicks who showed me that there is always a way to get a program to do what you need it to do.
What do you consider to be the most important tech innovation or development in recent years?
The development of communication devices has been incredibly important. They open up the whole world to us and we can access things, both socially and for education, that previously were only available to a few. They have brought so much information to our fingertips.
What tech gadget could you not live without?
I couldn’t live without my phone, because it is so much more than just a phone. It holds all the important things that make up my life, like messages, memories, and my calendar.
To find out more about Randox IT and the vacancies we have in the team, please email recruitment@randox.com
For more We Are Randox stories about our amazing colleagues, make sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and follow the hashtag #WeAreRandox.
Want to know more?
Contact us or visit our Randox Careers
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Randox IT wins IT Project Team of the Year at Belfast Telegraph IT Awards
Congratulations to the Randox IT department who have been named as the ‘IT Project Team of the Year’ at the Belfast Telegraph IT Awards 2019!
The awards ceremony, which was an inaugural event from the Belfast-based media outlet, was a showcase of the finest that the Northern Ireland IT industry has to offer, with both IT agencies and in-house IT teams vying for the chance to be crowned among the best their respective fields.
Sarah Little, Publishing Director at INM(NI), said on the night that holding the event was a ‘no brainer’ due to the prolific growth of the IT sector in Northern Ireland. In 2018 1 in 9 jobs advertised were in IT.
Prior to the awards event, Randox IT had been shortlisted for both IT Project Team of the Year for their work on RIQAS Point of Care and IT Team of the Year for their work on the Randox Health client portal.
The in-house IT team at Randox comprises of web developers, engineers, customer support staff, web designers, security professionals, software development and software testers spanning ten nationalities, from Indian to Hungarian and Italian to South African.
In the last year Randox IT have worked on a variety of exciting and important projects, including the development of an innovative health portal that assesses the accuracy and reliability of point-of-care machines. These blood testing analysers are increasingly being placed in the likes of pharmacies, GP surgeries, and A&E departments to provide NHS Health Checks and manage long-term conditions.
It was for this work on RIQAS Point of Care that on Friday 8th November, at a glittering awards event in the MAC Belfast, Randox IT were officially named IT Project Team of the Year.
The cloud-based technology developed by Randox IT provides confidence in vital test results for conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Uptake of the scheme has increased considerably since it was launched this year, proving that the system is meeting a need for a quality assurance system for non-laboratory health service staff which was not being met before.
We are delighted that Randox IT have been recognised for this pioneering work in point-of-care software and hope you join us in congratulating them on such a tremendous achievement.
To find out more about Randox IT and the vacancies we have in the team, please email recruitment@randox.com
Want to know more?
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We Are Randox | Randox IT is shortlisted in the Belfast Telegraph IT Awards 2019
Congratulations to the Randox IT department who have been shortlisted in two categories at the Belfast Telegraph IT Awards 2019.
This, the inaugural event from the Belfast-based media outlet, is set to be a showcase of the finest that the Northern Ireland IT industry has to offer with both IT agencies and in-house IT teams vying for the chance to be crowned among the best their respective fields.
Randox IT have been shortlisted for IT Project Team of the Year for their work on RIQAS Point of Care and IT Team of the Year for their work on the Randox Health client and staff portal.
See an overview of their applications below;
IT Project Team of the Year
Randox IT have developed an innovative health portal that assesses the accuracy and reliability of blood testing analysers. These blood testing analysers are increasingly being placed in the likes of pharmacies, GP surgeries, and A&E departments to provide NHS Health Checks and manage long term conditions.
Randox IT cloud-based technology provides confidence in vital test results for conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Uptake of the scheme has increased considerably since it was launched this year, proving that the system is meeting a need for a quality assurance system for non-laboratory health service staff which was not being met before.
IT Team of the Year
The in-house IT team at world-leading health diagnostics firm Randox comprises of web developers, engineers, customer support staff, web designers, security professionals, software development and software testers spanning ten nationalities, from Indian to Hungarian and Italian to South African.
In the last year, the Randox IT team have created a fully-automated, fully-functional platform for both healthcare professionals and clients of Randox Health, which generates results for state-of-the-art health checks.
The finals for the Belfast Telegraph IT Awards 2019 will take place on Friday 8th November 2019 in The Mac, Belfast and all finalists can be viewed here.
Good luck to the Randox IT department!
Want to know more?
Contact us or visit our Randox Careers
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Successful IT skills scheme enters its second phase
A recent initiative by Randox and eight other companies in Northern Ireland to address local IT skills shortages has proved such a success that nine more companies are now being asked to come on board.
Randox and the eight other businesses (Specialist Joinery Group, FP McCann, Bloc Blinds, CDE Global, Mallon Technology, Acorn IT Solutions, Spatialest and SDC Trailers) all of whom invest heavily in IT, collaborated with Northern Regional College to launch Career Encode, an innovative Earn As You Learn Higher Level Apprenticeship in Computing for school leavers.
Over 85 school-leavers and individuals considering a career change applied, exceeding all expectations. Due to the high calibre of applicants a total of 10 apprenticeships have been offered and are due to begin as early as June 2019.
Camilla Long, Director of Bespoke Communications, which specialises in training and leadership development, is acting as an independent facilitator for the nine employers. She explained why more companies should embrace innovative approaches of this nature to plug the skills gap;
“Recruiting new staff, and in particular IT staff, is one of the major challenges facing businesses today. The companies who took part in the Career Encode pilot were finding it increasingly difficult to find the right skills in their local area. As a result, they decided to take steps to develop their own labour force via this innovative Earn as You Learn Higher-Level Apprenticeship in Computing.
“We had a phenomenal response to the launch of the initiative. Over 85 young people applied, and the calibre of the applicants was exceptionally high. The young people who were interviewed were interested, engaged, motivated and willing to learn. There is clearly a need for opportunities of this nature.”
Ms Long added; “We are now looking for a further nine companies to join the second phase of the programme. If you are wondering why your business should join, the answer is simple. Career Encode will alleviate your technology staffing problems. It will allow you to grow your own skilled staff in a tight labour market, so you can develop employees with the skillset that you need.
“It will also further build your employer brand, so you can differentiate yourself and attract the very best candidates. We support you all the way, offering specialist workshops to help your team leaders mentor and manage your new apprentices. By working in collaboration with other like-minded companies you will be in a position to build a talent pipeline, so skill shortages are no longer an issue.”
Discussing the calibre of individuals that applied for the Career Encode apprenticeships, Jolene Carey, Randox Human Resources Officer, commented;
“Randox is a global provider of revolutionary medical diagnostics, and as such, IT underpins the delivery and support of all our mission-critical services. Our IT team are constantly exposed to the latest innovations and the Career Encode programme is an important part of our development plan for new talent.”
For further information about the Career Encode Programme please visit www.careerencode.com
Randox IT are recruiting! Join our cutting-edge team at the Randox Science Park
Do you know your JavaScript from your C#? Randox IT are looking for candidates like you!
Randox IT are recruiting and are looking for enthusiastic team players. Here at Randox, our IT team work from the state-of-the-art Randox Science Park in Antrim, only a short walk away from the town centre and Antrim Train Station.
Whether you’re interested in a placement or graduate position, or are already experienced in your IT field, there are roles at Randox IT for you.
Randox IT staff work in the following areas;
- Infrastructure
- Security
- Software Testing
- Software Development
- IT Operations
- Web Development
- IT Support
Randox IT are in a unique position to work in a company that helps people to live healthier for longer. The vision of Randox is one of ambition, innovation and commitment to improving health worldwide. We firmly believe that the healthcare of tomorrow depends on the innovations developed today. We are advancing cutting-edge science and technologies that hold the key to groundbreaking improvements in diagnostics and healthcare.
In recent years, we’ve developed diagnostics tests for stroke, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and many more, as well as the development of workplace drug testing kits, animal feed tests and food tests for milk, wine and honey. Randox IT are key to making this all possible.
Every day is different here but, ultimately, our teams are working to constantly evolve and improve our diagnostic capabilities around the world so that we can help to make a difference to global healthcare.
Randox is a global company with its roots firmly in Northern Ireland. Randox IT work with the latest technologies and software developments, allowing staff to even get to grips with unreleased prototypes. We always strive to expose our staff to the latest in IT innovation, not only to improve healthcare worldwide, but to continually expand the skills of all our teams.
If working in a close-knit, friendly team with access to cutting-edge technology sounds like the kind of place you’ve been looking for, why not get in touch?
Visit https://www.careers.randox.com to see all our current vacancies or email your CV to recruitment@randox.com.
We Are Randox | Software Developer Scott McPeake on life in the Randox IT department
Have you heard about our IT Open Evening on Tuesday 20th November? We’re offering those interested in Software Development, Information Security, Web Design and IT Support the opportunity to have a look around our state-of-the-art IT facilities at the Randox Science Park.
But as a company known throughout the world for its high-quality health diagnostic products, you may have been surprised to hear that we have such wide-ranging roles available in Information Technology.
“Randox? Isn’t that just for scientists?” we hear you say.
We turned to Randox IT Software Developer Scott McPeake for the answer. This is what he said.
“I imagine if you were to ask my friends from my Computer Science course at university, if they previously knew that Randox offers jobs in IT, they would say no.
But really, it’s not surprising when you think about it. Technology underpins everything we do in life. Everything is moving digital, and everything digital involves software in some shape or form.
Even jobs which you assume are predominantly tech-free – let’s say for example, a bus driver – use technology every day. A bus driver relies on technology to administer tickets and to plan their travel routes. It truly is everywhere and it’s only going to expand more.
Without an innovative IT department, Randox wouldn’t be the successful and reputable company it is today. If there was no IT team, there would be no lab equipment, no websites, no apps. Even organisations who don’t specialise in IT still have it as a core function of the company.
In the Software Development team, in particular, we design and develop the software used in laboratories to compare results from instruments and samples against other laboratories, to see how these results compare.
It’s important work, as all our scientists rely on us to be able to do their work in providing blood test results to patients across the world. Our software needs to be operating perfectly to ensure people are getting the correct results and therefore the correct diagnosis. And that’s what makes Randox so reputable.
Access to technologies
Being part of a company that is so well established and successful also means that we get exposed to the latest innovations. With IT influencing so much of what we do here, we’re at the forefront of all projects and developments, and are given access to the most up-to-date technologies to make sure we’re providing the best possible products and user experience for our customers, and can stay head of our competitors.
We’re able therefore to bring to management our ideas about what new software we would like to try, to suggest how it would improve our work. So new software is coming in all the time. I’m currently working with MVC architecture which is a key software framework used widely across the world. It’s definitely something good to get experience in, as is typescript, which although not used as much, is really interesting, and I’ve certainly enjoyed the opportunity to try something new.
We also work with C# and javascript which are popular, up-to-date products. So whilst the industry of health diagnostics is rather niche, we have the opportunity to use design patterns that are used by most companies, in most industries, to realise our aim of advancing global healthcare.
And of course, working in Randox, we also get the opportunity to learn about the science of diagnostics, and in particular the machines on which we’re implementing our software designs, which carry out blood testing in hospitals and laboratories. It’s good to challenge yourself to learn something new.
Teamwork and collaboration
The chance to expand your knowledge and improve your skills repertoire is probably one of my favourite things about working here at Randox. Everyone works really collaboratively and we help each other out when we need it. So if you don’t know something, no one is going to chastise you. Asking for help and advice is actively encouraged because we each have our own strengths and weaknesses and we can help each other to be a better team. Everyone in the Randox IT team is really willing to help and makes time for you if you need it.
I remember on my first day here I was really nervous and I arrived at the door unable to get in because it was locked. Someone in the team immediately came to the door, asked me if I was new and welcomed me in to the building. That instantly set the tone. Everyone was really welcoming, friendly and professional.
And this ability to work together is so crucial. Most days we will be working on the same site but perhaps on different pages so we have to talk to each other to make sure my page doesn’t break theirs and vice versa. Quite often we’ll design the layout of the software collaboratively, and most days we’ll have a morning meeting to discuss our progress.
If we’re creating something new, we’ll draw up the design based on user requirements and create the software to those designs. Or if an existing site doesn’t work properly, we’ll write up the problem, how to solve it, and then push it up to the production server to fix the bugs.
Fundamental skills
So communication is fundamental, as is problem solving. Being able to keep calm under pressure is also an inherent skill for programming. Deadlines happen; they’re a real thing. You can’t take all day to do something. But it keeps things challenging for us, which is vital, as you don’t want to put your brain to sleep. The work is challenging but solvable, and as I said, you have the team there to help you out and support you.
We all get on really well and the more experienced software developers in the team have been such great mentors to me. If you’re interested in working in IT I would certainly recommend coming along to our IT Open Evening on Tuesday 20th November so that you can meet all of us and have the opportunity to take a tour of our brand-new facilities in the Randox Science Park.
Working in Antrim
The site is really spacious, modern, and easy to get to. For me, coming from Coleraine, I’m just able to get the train to the Antrim station, which is right beside the bus station aswell.
And Antrim has everything you could need. Shops, supermarkets, nice affordable places to live, and plenty of cafés and restaurants. Sometimes we’ll head out as a team in to Antrim for lunch or dinner together, or if we fancy Belfast, it’s just a short journey on the train.
So if you’re interested in a dynamic career in software development, take the trip to Antrim to find out a bit more about what Randox has to offer during our Open Evening on 20th November.
You might not have thought of Randox as a software house but we’re here and we’re working hard to improve healthcare globally!”
To attend the Randox IT Open Evening on Tuesday 20th November, register for tickets on EventBrite by clicking here.
For further information please contact the Randox PR team by emailing randoxpr@randox.com or phoning 028 9442 2413
