ANS represents Manchester tech community as part of the Royal Foundation Community Impact Programme

Leading Manchester-based UK tech company ANS was chosen to represent the Manchester technology business community as part of the Prince of Wales’ visit to Moss Side. The visit marks the launch of the Royal Foundation Community Impact Programme.

ANS was chosen due to its long-standing work with Manchester City Council and continual efforts to help upskill young people in Hulme, Moss Side and Rusholme in a wide variety of high-demand technology skills. During the visit, ANS CEO Rich Thompson met the Prince of Wales to discuss the company’s longstanding commitment to supporting young people in these areas to become employment-ready.

“Our industry thrives on people who think differently, who come from different backgrounds and live different lifestyles. To achieve our mission of making technology accessible to all companies, large or small, we rely heavily on talent from our local communities,” explains Rich.

“In 2024, at ANS, we are committing 100 volunteering days from across all our teams, including engineers, technologists and developers, to inspire more young people in our local area to get into the tech industry.”

The Prince of Wales visited the Hideaway Youth Project, based in Manchester, one of the local community groups that ANS works closely with to help young people get ready for the workplace.

Over the last 10 years, over 250 apprentices have graduated from ANS’ OFSTED rated ‘outstanding’ Academy with highly sought-after tech qualifications in areas such as infrastructure engineering and information communication technology.

In September 2024, the ANS Academy will have 20 places for local apprentices in its next cohort, with a team available to support candidates on their applications. In addition, ANS will be providing the following as part of its 100-day commitment:

• 10 ‘Workplace Safari’ trips for schools, colleges and community groups in Moss Side, Hulme and Rusholme to come and tour ‘Fusion’, ANS’s HQ located in Hulme. Young people will learn about the different jobs and departments that make up a thriving tech business. Each trip will end with an employability masterclass and guidance on the most in-demand skills.
• 10 ‘Day in the life’ work experience places where young people can come and shadow various job roles across the business, e.g. Cloud Engineer.
• 10 ‘Code Clubs’, teaching young people all about the latest technologies, including Low Code and AI.

About the Royal Visit

His Royal Highness’ visit marks the announcement of a new initiative, spearheaded by The Royal Foundation and the Mayor of Greater Manchester, to elevate and expand ongoing work to tackle youth violence. The announcement forms the third in a series of Community Impact programmes created by The Royal Foundation to bring about tangible impact in the communities visited by The Prince and Princess of Wales.

The Prince of Wales’ first visit of the day will be to The Hideaway Youth Project, lead partner of the Manchester Peace Together Alliance, to learn more about the work of the Alliance to reduce violence amongst young people. His Royal Highness’ visit marks the launch of a new initiative, galvanised by The Royal Foundation and the Mayor of Greater Manchester, which will help to extend the work of the Peace Together Alliance by creating new opportunities for those at risk of youth violence.

Image courtesy: Royal Foundation team and Manchester Evening News