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Openreach Creating 4,000 Apprenticeships & Jobs In The UK

15 Feb 2022

Openreach Creating 4,000 Apprenticeships & Jobs In The UK

Openreach has launched a massive recruitment drive to fill 4,000 apprenticeships and other vacancies in the United Kingdom.

The BT-owned telecoms firm is rolling out more of its full-fibre broadband to new locations around the UK, creating thousands of new opportunities for young people and older more-experienced applicants alike.

3 in 4 of the new vacancies will be apprenticeships, meaning that there will be at least 3,000 vacancies on offer for youngsters who are keen to get a foot on the careers’ ladder with one of the biggest employers in the sector.

Openreach is on an ambitious drive to install its broadband services to 25 million companies and residential addresses within the next five years.

The company, which already employs more than 35,000 members of staff, will increase its headcount by around 12 per cent before the end of 2022 as part of the rollout of new infrastructure.

Launching the recruitment drive for apprentices and other talented applicants, Openreach’s chief executive, Clive Selley, said:

“[We are a] people business first and foremost, so I’m proud that we’re continuing to invest heavily in our people, having hired and trained more than 8,000 new engineers over the last two years. We’re rightly recognised as one of the best big companies to work for, and we’re determined to stay that way.”

“So we’ve been building state of the art training schools where we can teach people the skills and techniques they need for long, exciting and rewarding careers in engineering.”

“We want to reflect the communities we serve and give opportunities to people from all backgrounds, so I’m encouraged that we’ve recruited more women and minority groups this year compared to last year, but we’ve got much more to do in an industry that hasn’t been very diverse historically,” added the CEO.

Scotland is earmarked for around 1 in 8 of the new vacancies at Openreach, with a variety of apprenticeships and other roles on offer across most parts of the country.

Welcoming the opportunities in the country, Richard Lochhead, the Employment Minister for Scotland, said:

“Accessing fast and reliable broadband has never been so important. Building on the early success of our Young Person’s Guarantee and our ongoing significant investment in education, employability and skills, these additional 500 high quality jobs being created by Openreach will increase opportunities across Scotland.”

“Apprenticeships are a key way for all employers to continue to invest in their workforce, providing core skills the economy needs now and in the future. This is central to the Scottish Government’s immediate priority to lead the country through the Coronavirus pandemic into a recovery that protects and creates jobs and backs our young people,” said the Minister.

Wales is also set to benefit from the recruitment drive, with 250 Openreach vacancies up for grabs in the country.

The country’s Economy Minister, Vaughan Gething, said: “The Welsh Government wants to create a fairer and more prosperous Wales, where nobody is left behind. So I’m delighted Openreach are creating 250 new jobs across Wales, supporting our aim of creating new high-quality jobs in the industries and services of the future.”

“I’m also delighted to see more than 200 new, high-quality apprenticeships being created, providing invaluable opportunities for people from all sectors of society to start a rewarding career in engineering. This will support our mission of ensuring people are able to make their future here in Wales.”

Offering an employee’s perspective of working life at Openreach, 27 year old Brooklyn Yates-Clarkson said:

“Openreach has always been somewhere I've wanted to work but I never had the courage to apply until very recently. The thing I love most about the job is working outdoors and having to use both my physical and mental strength to get results. I enjoy jobs that are demanding and love that feeling of having had a hard day at work.”

“Training was brilliant but even now a year on I'm constantly learning and developing so I’d say to anyone worried about starting out in a completely new industry to not worry about it at all.

"You can do this job regardless of background and there’s endless support available from trainers, mentors and teammates.”

You can find out more about working for the BT-owned broadband firm by taking a look at our company profile for Openreach.

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