University Degree Apprentice helps to develop track and trace product for businesses

A Degree Apprentice at Wrexham Glyndwr has played a key role in developing a new track and trace software product that can help businesses combat the spread of coronavirus.

Martyn Price, is undertaking his Degree Apprenticeship in Cyber Security at Glyndwr while working for RFIDdirect Ltd, a provider of radio-frequency identification technology based in Mold, Flintshire.

Within the past 18 months he has been working on RFIDdirect’s a10door© product, a registration system for maintaining records of staff, customers and visitors, compliant with controlling the spread of COVID-19 through track and trace.

It also has a HR function useful in tracking and managing staff working patterns/hours, the development of which Martyn has been working on around his lectures at the university.

Martyn said: “I was attracted to the course when saw a tweet put out by the university talking about the degree apprenticeships.
“I emailed the enterprise department, was sent a couple of prospectuses and was invited in for a chat which also turned out to be the first day of the course, so it all happened quite quickly!

“The a10door© product was developed in the first lockdown, when there was a lot of foot-dragging with the first Track and Trace programme.

“The whole idea was to put together something really quick and basic for businesses that would just work.

“We’ve now got a couple of businesses that are using it. It was originally designed as part of a Covid-response, and it’s turned into something that now sits between pen and paper for tracking at workplaces and business, and a door access system where you can see who is coming in and out of the business.”

Having attempted to undertake a university degree on previous occasions which did not work out, Martyn, now 27, says he has had much better experience in his time at Glyndwr.

Hailing from the Wirral, Martyn added that Glyndwr’s location and the Degree Apprenticeship on offer puts the university in a prime position to plug skills deficits in the area, and retain talent in North Wales.

He added: “The Degree Apprenticeship has given me the opportunity to get my Degree.

“I work for a company based in Mold. The whole of North Wales has quite a heavy skills shortage when it comes to developers.

“We have quite a bit of trouble trying to find developers as there just isn’t that many people in the area with the necessary skillset. A lot of people with those skills look to go out to Warrington, Manchester, Stoke, those sorts of areas.

“The Degree Apprenticeship gives people from the area a chance to stay here, and for this area to keep their skills and knowledge.”

Laura Gough, Head of Enterprise at Wrexham Glyndwr University, added: “It’s fantastic to see how the framework of a Degree Apprenticeship allows students to not only gain a degree while working, but also enables the creation of new innovative ideas and approaches.”

For more information about Degree Apprenticeships at Wrexham Glyndwr, visit https://www.glyndwr.co.uk/en/Business/DegreeApprenticeships/