Marks & Spencer is continuing its hunt for IT graduates as it plans to recruit a new software engineering team in London throughout 2013.
As part of its existing Graduate Scheme and Business Placement Programme, half of the 50 strong team will be made up of graduates and half will be experienced engineers.
M&S chief information officer (CIO), Darrell Stein said the recruitment of software engineers in particular coincides with the company’s move to bring its software development in-house.
"Bringing software development in-house will make processes much faster," he told Computer Weekly. "We'll use the scheme to build around half of the positions, with the other half being hired in."
Stein said that so far there has been a mix of both male and female applicants.
"The majority of our customers are females, so having more females on our team can only benefit us," he said.
He added that M&S is pushing to make itself an attractive employer to the new generation of developers coming through.
"Retail was previously seen as a back-office function, but it’s multi-channel now and an attractive place for both new and experienced developers to grow their skills."
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M&S’s graduate scheme offers an estimated 200 roles across the country, which will close this December for graduates wanting to join M&S in the New Year.
Some 140 positions are offered to graduates and 60 one-year placements are offered to undergraduates as part of their degree course.
Successful applicants will take part in assessment days throughout January and February to join the company permanently in April. Roles other than software engineer include retail management and specialist schemes such as logistics, food development and e-commerce, as well general buying and merchandising programmes.
Graduates are offered a starting salary of between £23,500-£28,000, depending on the role and location, and undergraduates on placements are offered £16,500-£19,500.
Last year, the company claimed to receive over 13,500 applicants, which was an increase of 23% from the previous year. Applications for the M&S graduate scheme 2013 close this month.
