Capita facts for kids
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Formerly
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| Public limited company | |
| Traded as | LSE: CPI |
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| Founded | 1984 |
| Headquarters | London, England |
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Key people
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| Products |
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| Revenue |  £2,814.6 million (2023) |
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Operating income
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 £(52.0) million (2023) |
| £(180.6) million (2023) |
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Number of employees
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50,000 (2023) |
Capita plc is a big company based in London, England. It helps other businesses and governments with many different tasks. This is called "business process outsourcing" and "professional services."
Capita is one of the largest companies of its kind in the United Kingdom. It works with central and local governments, as well as private businesses. About half of its work is for the government, and the other half is for private companies. Capita also has offices in Europe, Africa, and Asia. You can find its shares listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Contents
History of Capita
Capita started in 1984 as part of another organization called CIPFA. In 1987, it became its own company. This happened through a "management buy-out," where the company's managers bought it. At that time, it had 33 employees.
Capita first joined the London Stock Exchange in 1991. This meant people could buy and sell shares in the company.
In 2006, the company's leader, Rod Aldridge, stepped down. He had helped Capita grow a lot since 1987. He was replaced by Paul Pindar.
In February 2007, a Capita office in London was attacked with a letter bomb. One person was hurt.
Capita continued to grow by buying other companies. In 2011, it bought Ventura, a company that helps with customer calls. In 2013, it bought the Fire Service College from the government.
In 2014, Andy Parker became the new chief executive. Capita bought more companies, including Avocis (a German call centre) in 2015. It also acquired Orange Bus (a digital agency) in 2016 and NYS Corporate (an events agency) in 2017.
In late 2017, Jonathan Lewis took over as CEO. He announced plans to improve the company's finances. This included selling some parts of the business and cutting costs. In 2018, Capita's shares went down after British Airways decided not to give them a contract. The company also reported a financial loss that year.
In 2019, Capita started a new plan to improve its business. They also made a big change by becoming a "living wage" employer. This means they pay all their employees enough to cover the real cost of living. They also changed their company logo for the first time in 13 years.
In April 2023, Capita announced that hackers had broken into their computer systems. A small amount of client or staff data was stolen during this cyberattack.
How Capita Works
Capita has many different parts that offer various services.
Consulting Services
In 2019, Capita started a new part of its business focused on consulting. This team has about 1,000 experts. They help other companies solve problems and improve their operations.
Healthcare Jobs
Since 2011, Capita has helped hospitals and clinics find staff. They do this by finding nurses and other healthcare workers for jobs.
Financial Administration
Capita Financial Administrators helps other companies manage their money and paperwork. In 2006, this part of Capita was fined because it had weak controls to prevent fraud.
Legal Support
Capita also planned to offer legal services. They invested in a law firm called Optima Legal Services. However, there were some issues with the rules about companies owning law firms.
Construction Services
In 1998, Capita began running Constructionline. This is a service that helps connect construction companies with buyers. In 2015, Capita bought Constructionline completely. Later, in 2018, Capita sold Constructionline to another company.
NHS Services
Capita has worked with the NHS (National Health Service) in the UK. They have helped with things like payroll and managing patient records. However, some NHS groups had problems with Capita's services. For example, some contracts were cancelled because of concerns about the quality of work. There were also issues with handling patient information and delays in administrative tasks.
In 2019, the NHS decided to take back the administration of some health programs that Capita had been running.
Education Services
Capita helps schools and education systems in several ways:
- SIMS.net: This is a software used by many schools in England and Wales. It helps schools keep track of student information, like attendance and grades.
- Individual Learning Account: This was a government program to help adults pay for learning. Capita managed it, but the program was stopped in 2001 due to widespread fraud.
- Connexions Card: This program gave smart cards to young people aged 16-19. It recorded their lesson attendance and offered discounts. The program ran from 2002 to 2006.
- Education Maintenance Allowance: Capita helped manage payments for this allowance, which supported young people staying in education.
- Capita Education Resourcing: This part of Capita helps schools find teachers and other staff. They have offices across the UK.
Irish Postcodes
In 2014, Capita was chosen to create a new postcode system for the Republic of Ireland, called Eircode. This system gives a unique code to every address. It was launched in July 2015. Some emergency services had concerns about how the new system might affect their response times.
Ministry of Defence Services
Capita has several contracts with the UK's Ministry of Defence.
- Army Recruitment: In 2012, Capita won a 10-year contract to help recruit people for the British Army. This contract was worth a lot of money. However, Capita faced criticism because they often did not meet the army's recruitment goals each year. A new recruitment website, which was part of this contract, was also delivered late and cost more than planned. The contract was extended until 2024.
- Fire and Rescue Services: In 2019, Capita won a 12-year contract to manage the Defence Fire and Rescue Service. This includes fire services at military sites in the UK and other countries. They also took over training for Royal Air Force firefighters. However, Capita was criticized for suggesting they would cut the number of firefighters at some important naval bases.
- Royal Navy Training: In 2020, a group of companies led by Capita won a large contract to provide training for the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. This training takes place at 16 locations across the UK.
Images for kids
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Capita's logo
