A NORTH East tech company is expanding internationally after signing a deal to deliver support in the Philippines.
Sunderland-based Technically Compatible, which is already used by companies all over the world to help them screen candidates for IT roles, is working with Cloud Employee, the UK’s fastest growing offshore Software Engineer provider, to help it uncover the best technical talent.
Technically Compatible – which enables businesses to accurately test the technical capabilities of prospective employees and already counts thriving software company Tombola, retail giant Next and billion-dollar consultancy firm Sapient, amongst its clients – will work with Cloud Employee to support the company in finding the brightest talent for roles it recruits for in the Philippines.
The Sunderland Software Centre business will provide the company with testing capabilities that will allow it to find the most skilled developers in the Philippines, who will then support the company as it delivers contracts for its clients. Cloud Employee provides highly vetted Philippines based candidates to work as an extension of their clients’ in-house technical teams.
Mike Rohan, sales director from Technically Compatible, said: “We’re delighted to be expanding into the Philippines with a product that will transform the way Cloud Employee recruits its team.
“This contract is a significant step for us, as it increases our international footprint and opens up the possibility of further expansion into the Asian market. The language of coding is universal and our platform tests accurately the competencies of the candidates wherever in the world they’re based. It has huge growth potential, and we’ve already developed an international client base, which we only see increasing further as more people learn about our product.”
Technically Compatible allows clients to create their own technical tests, giving them the ability to measure the competencies of prospective employees and ensure they are a good fit for the role.
Nina Bromley, operations director from Cloud Employee, said: “Companies up and down the UK face supply and cost challenges when hiring IT staff and may consider foreign alternatives to fill skill gaps. However, quality control and security is often a concern attached to outsourcing agencies or foreign home-based remote workers. Cloud Employee was set up to tackle this issue opening UK managed offices in Manila bridging the gap between UK companies and the abundance of tech talent in the Philippines.”
“Using Technically Compatible means that we can be absolutely confident we are testing people’s ability effectively, and that we deliver only the brightest talent for our clients. We have used other testing platforms previously, but the fact that this one allows us to develop such bespoke testing has been a huge advantage.
Technically Compatible allows clients to run coding challenges which they can then watch back, to see exactly how the candidate wrote the code. It also produces detailed reports on the time it took to answer each question and provides a summary of the test results.
Councillor Paul Watson, leader of Sunderland City Council, which has supported the firm with its move into the Software Centre several years ago, and has assisted with expansion since, said: “Technically Compatible is an innovative technology business that has demonstrated very quickly just how scalable it is.
“This new relationship with Cloud Employee will allow it to take its platform to the Philippines, and with it, spread the word about the technical capabilities and innovation that exist in Sunderland. We’re delighted to see them doing so well.”
Michelle Cooper, investment director at Northstar Ventures, the local VC firm which backed Technically Compatible, said: “The new expansion is testament to how great teams with good ideas can successfully enter different markets. We’re impressed with Technically Compatible’s global strategy and excited to see what the future holds.”
To find out more about Technically Compatible, visit www.technicallycompatible.com, call 0191 562 3171, hello@technicallycompatible.com or follow @TechCompatible on Twitter.
For more information about Sunderland as a place for software, visit www.makeitsunderland.com, call 0191 561 1194, or emailinfo@makeitsunderland.com. Or follow @MakeItSund on Twitter for updates from the city.