All of our graduates join us as permanent employees. Designed to attract the very best, this is a varied two-year programme that will give you an in-depth understanding of IT in a complex retail business with world-wide ambitions. Through a combination of placements and core development, you’ll learn how to balance technical know-how, self-awareness and personal skills as you develop to become one of our technology leaders of the future.

You’ll be based at our Nottingham Support Office – the hub of our business – where you’ll experience three real jobs in our key areas of Solution Delivery, Service and the IT Business Office. You’ll also see the sharp-end of retail with a placement in one of our stores.

We’ve designed this to be a full, varied programme; you’ll benefit from workshops, events and self-contained projects. There’s plenty of support throughout from your line manager and a personal mentor – one of our senior leaders.

It's a tough, demanding journey but, at the end of the two years, you'll be in a great position to decide which area you want to specialise in. Succeed and you'll be equipped with the key skills, knowledge and experience to reach managerial level with us in two to three years. For those who show exceptional leadership and business skills, there will be additional training plus the opportunity to progress even further.

Key elements of the programme

Induction

A highly interactive and self-managed induction experience, designed to give you a thorough introduction to retail, the Boots brand and the IT team.

Behavioural skills

Through this aspect of the programme, you’ll develop your self-awareness and  nurture the ability to influence and work with people from a variety of backgrounds. You’ll also learn to build and manage relationships and to raise your personal effectiveness in a variety of settings with a wide range of people.

Technical skills

Role-specific training to understand: 

• the complexities of Information Technologies and Infrastructure and how these services are managed to best support business operations
• the approaches to IT strategy and architecture and the part they play in providing quality solutions to meet future business and customer needs 
• how to deliver change through the project management lifecycle along with analytical disciplines
• financial and commercial practices that help to control budgets and to manage suppliers providing IT services
• controls and reporting of investment/resource plans that ensure IT meets its commitments to its customers

Supporting activities

These link the programme together and help you reflect on what you have learnt and how you will apply it. For example, line manager coaching, access to a mentor, charity projects or informal drop-in sessions with senior leaders.