Inside Velonetic is a people‑powered storytelling series that explores the roles, expertise and work that sit behind the services we deliver every day.
In this Behind the Scenes feature, Suzie Sherborne, Early Careers Lead, shares how our early careers programmes are designed to build capability for the long term, for our business and for our customers. By investing in graduates, apprentices, and early-career talent, we develop people who bring fresh perspectives, modern skills, and a strong understanding of our customers’ needs. Our approach combines structured development, strong leadership support, and real-world experience, helping to create a future-ready workforce that adds value from day one and continues to grow with the business.
I’m the Early Careers Lead at Velonetic, responsible for developing and managing our early careers programmes across the business. This includes graduates, apprentices and our Pathfinder programme, as well as overseeing the recruitment of talent into each of these pathways.
I joined Velonetic in May last year, and since then much of my focus has been on working closely with senior leaders and teams across the business to build programmes that are genuinely fit for purpose. The aim has always been to create early careers pathways that reflect Velonetic’s priorities, future direction, and the skills our customers will increasingly rely on.
Building early careers programmes at Velonetic
Over recent years, Velonetic has benefited from a successful DXC graduate programme, with several graduates joining the business and making a positive impact. My role has been to build on that strong foundation and introduce Velonetic’s own graduate programme, expanding and strengthening our early careers offering.
Over the past year, we’ve recruited and onboarded our first Velonetic graduate cohort, welcomed participants onto our Pathfinder programme, and prepared to launch our first apprentice cohort. Designing these programmes has involved aligning them closely to the needs of the business, ensuring participants gain meaningful experience and develop skills that support both operational excellence and future growth.
For customers, this investment means working with teams that continue to evolve, bringing new ideas, digital capability and fresh ways of thinking, while being grounded in a strong understanding of the market and its demands.
The role culture plays in early careers
One of the first things that stood out to me at Velonetic was the culture. It’s supportive, collaborative, and flexible with a genuine willingness across the business to get involved in shaping early careers and supporting people at the start of their journeys.
I’ve also been struck by how accessible and approachable senior leadership is. That openness, combined with a strong sense of purpose, helps early career talent feel valued and connected, even in a virtual-first environment. It also means our programmes are closely aligned with leadership priorities and the direction of the business.
What we look for in early talent
When recruiting into our early career programmes, we look beyond academic background. Curiosity, a desire to learn, and alignment with our values are essential. We look for people who collaborate well, treat others with respect, and feel confident sharing new perspectives or constructively challenging how things are done.
Because we’re a virtual-first business, self-motivation and independence are also important. We’re open about this during recruitment, ensuring people understand what working at Velonetic is really like and can thrive in that environment.
Supporting people in a virtual-first environment
Strong support structures are essential, particularly for those at the start of their careers. Each graduate, for example, has a people manager, a work-based manager, a graduate buddy and a senior sponsor from the leadership team.
Alongside this, we create regular opportunities for people to connect, through office days, structured check-ins, and both formal and informal development activities. That network of support helps early career colleagues build confidence, capability and strong working relationships across the business.
What a typical week looks like
My role varies depending on the time of year. During peak recruitment periods, I focus on managing recruitment campaigns, running assessment centres, interviewing candidates and supporting managers through the recruitment process.
Outside those peaks, the work becomes more forward-looking — planning learning and development initiatives, onboarding new hires, supporting outreach activities, and spending time with our early careers cohorts and their managers to ensure they’re getting the right experience and support.
Measuring impact and adding value
Early careers programmes are a long-term investment in capability. Our cohorts are already adding value through fresh perspectives, modern skills, and a strong appetite to learn. Over time, that impact will continue to grow as individuals deepen their expertise and take on greater responsibility across the business.
For customers, this means working with teams that are continually developing, supported by structured learning, strong governance and a clear focus on quality and professionalism.
Looking ahead
What excites me most is seeing these programmes really come to life. With our graduate and Pathfinder programmes now established and apprentices joining later this year, it’s incredibly rewarding to watch people grow, contribute, and thrive.
Why this work matters
Developing early-career talent isn’t just about recruitment, it’s about building a sustainable, skilled workforce for the future. By investing in people early, we’re strengthening Velonetic’s ability to support customers today and adapt to their needs tomorrow.
Helping to shape meaningful early-career experiences, and seeing the positive impact that has across the business, is something I find genuinely rewarding, and it plays an important role in how Velonetic continues to deliver for its customers.
