Employer Case Study - Onca Technologies

9th Jul 2024

Here at e-Placement Scotland, we have created over 3000 paid placements since 2010. With many of our summer placements now starting, we thought it would be a good opportunity to celebrate some of our past placement students. We recently caught up with Kurtis Toy, vCISO at Onca Technologies, who recruited a student placement through e-Placement Scotland.

Onca Technologies are a private limited company that helps organisations improve their cyber security by assisting with gaps and assessing each company on an individual basis. Everything is bespoke to that specific company's size, scope and needs.

We also offer digital risk protection by reviewing organisation’s online vulnerabilities, such as their website domain and company emails. We use threat intelligence to create reports for organisations, and with access to our virtual CISO service (vCISO) we provide expert knowledge securing organisations across Scotland.

We provide IT support via our helpdesk, where we have friendly and knowledgeable experts providing support and assistance for technical issues, or general queries.

“Recruiting through e-Placement Scotland was ideal as it saved time and money; the support given helped to navigate the confusing world of recruitment as well.”

We were a very small organisation, with only myself and two other part-time members of staff at the time, therefore we were looking for someone who was independent, flexible and understood how a small business works. We needed someone who could problem-solve for themselves, but who was confident enough to be able to ask for support when needed. Students and recent graduates have been in the learning environment and therefore are confident in their abilities but understand they are still learning and utilise the support they have around them.

Students recruited through e-Placement Scotland are usually based in Scotland as well, which is a benefit for training and support being given.

As e-Placement Scotland is provided by ScotlandIS, there was also the element of trust. The connections provided via e-Placement Scotland, via ScotlandIS, were invaluable, along with the support from everyone involved.

We found exactly what we needed, trust built quickly, tasks progressed well, and they were settled and part of the team within 4-6 weeks.

"Our placement employee is now well established within the team, and now manages a team of two themselves."

Having our student intern made a huge impact to Onca Technologies as a whole. It allowed the business to grow by giving the gift of time. Having the placement being able to complete tasks including project rollouts and implementation freed up time for other members of staff, specifically the virtual CISO. Having a self-starter meant that the tasks were completed on time and with minimal input.

“Since October 2023, we have grown from a team of three to a team of seven, which wouldn’t have been possible without recruitment through e-Placement Scotland.”

e-Placement Scotland is a fantastic resource. Other employers should forget any biases they may have over recruiting students and recent graduates based on their age and experience. Training on specific systems and tools can be provided, and the soft skills that they can bring have been very beneficial. There have been no downsides, it’s saved time, money, and students are always eager for the opportunity.

It’s been a win-win for everyone. e-Placement Scotland has been very helpful in guiding me through what was needed as an employer, which was an amazing benefit, especially as an employer with no previous recruitment knowledge.

“I need to recruit again, and I will be using e-Placement Scotland to do so.”