Member Article

Openreach to recruit 400 new engineers

BT’s Openreach division will recruit 400 new engineers, as the company prepare to expand the country’s fibre broadband infrastructure.

Openreach say the majority of the new jobs will be filled by ex-armed forces personnel, who will join the mobile workforce.

The workforce will work on plans to extend the “fibre footprint” to around two thirds of UK premises by the end of 2014.

Secretary of State for Culture, Media, Olympics and Sport, Jeremy Hunt, said: “This is good news not only for the 400 people who secure one of the new jobs but for the whole of the country. BT is creating jobs while rolling-out the digital infrastructure UK businesses need to grow.

“Digital technology is fundamental to the way we live our lives and the way we do business, which is why we want the UK to have the best and the fastest superfast broadband in Europe by 2015.”

Openreach is now working with The Career Transition Partnership (CTP), an arrangement between the Ministry of Defence and Right Management, to help facilitate the recruitment of the new engineers.

The CTP provides career guidance along with training and employment support to those leaving the forces.

Olivia Garfield, Openreach CEO, said: “These are challenging economic times so I’m delighted to be able to recruit these extra engineers. Our engineers are doing a fantastic job keeping the copper network in shape, as well as deploying fibre at breakneck speed, and the new recruits will help us go even further, faster.

“Fibre broadband will be vital to the future health of the UK. It has the potential to transform the economy and help create thousands of jobs. Our engineers are playing a critical role by deploying infrastructure that will underpin the economy for many years to come.”

The recruitment drive will see the total number of new engineers hired in 2012 rise to over 1,000, following an intake of around 600 in the first half of the year.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .