Openreach recruitment drive results in 140 new engineers across Yorkshire

Openreach, BT’s local network business, has completed a major recruitment drive in Yorkshire and the Humber.

The recruitment drive has seen the hiring of more than 120 engineers, 17 apprentices and five graduates across Yorkshire and the Humber to help install new lines and fix faults.

The new recruits are also working on rolling out fibre broadband to more households and businesses beyond the nearly two million premises in the region, which already have access to the high speed technology.

Towns and cities where the latest Openreach recruits are based include Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford, Scarborough, Harrogate, York, Grimsby and Huddersfield.

The latest recruits are part of a nationwide initiative, which has seen Openreach employ 5,000 engineers and more than 700 apprentices across the UK in the last three years.

A large number of the jobs have been taken up by ex-service men and women, which highlights the company’s long-standing relationship with the UK Armed Forces.

Openreach remains keen to further increase diversity in the workforce, including the recruitment of more female engineers. The business recently teamed up with other technology firms to create a new mentoring scheme – Step into STEM – which encourages schoolgirls to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics careers.

Clive Selley, chief executive of Openreach, said: “Improving the service that we provide to customers is my number one priority, and these new engineering recruits will be helping us connect more people on time and fix faults faster.

“Openreach is already rolling out superfast fibre broadband and is helping the Government achieve its aim of reaching 95 per cent of UK premises by the end of 2017. As we take the UK beyond superfast, many of these engineers will also be helping us get ultrafast speeds to up to 12 million homes by the end of 2020.

“We’re making big investments to build and maintain our network, but we recognise there’s much more to do and we want to attract the very best people to help us on that journey.”

Tom Keeney, BT’s regional director for Yorkshire and the Humber, added: “This latest recruitment represents another major investment by BT in the region as a leading employer and provider of essential services.

“New recruits are now embarking on exciting careers in a fast-moving industry, which is making a major contribution to the future success of Yorkshire and the Humber. Already, they are working hard to ensure that local households and businesses get the best possible service whether they have ordered the latest new technology, such as superfast fibre broadband, or simply reported a fault.

“Given our focus on service, we’ve recruited people who can connect with customers and give them a very good experience they’ll remember. In return, they have the opportunity of a fantastic career in a company that’s at the forefront of building the UK’s connected future.”

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