In a bid to accelerate its ultrafast Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) programme, Openreach has announced it is recruiting over 3,500 new trainee engineers, more than 400 of which will be located in Scotland. The Scottish trainees will be located across the country. To date Openreach has stated that there will be more than 50 posts in the Highlands and Islands, over 40 each in Edinburgh, Aberdeenshire and Argyll & Bute, 30+ in Dumfries & Galloway; and 25 in Perth & Kinross. Trainees will be based in places as far flung as Ballater, Crathes, Friockheim, Eskdalemuir, Ladybank and Lochwinnoch, working to install, upgrade and maintain new services on Openreach’s national broadband network. Openreach claims its Fibre First programme will deliver expanded full-fibre FTTP networks in up to 40 towns, cities and boroughs, with the goal of reaching ten million British premises by the mid-2020s. Openreach has committed to making FTTP available to three million British homes and business by the end of 2020, with plans to go significantly further, bringing FTTP technology to the majority of homes and businesses in the UK. Edinburgh is one of the first eight cities in the UK where the roll-out will commence, with approximately 30 of the new recruits in the Capital working on the Fibre First programme. “These trainee engineers will be playing a vital role in the future success and prosperity of Scotland. Over the last year our 3,000 Scottish engineers have been the driving force behind making superfast broadband available to more than 93% of the country, whilst also improving our customer service performance – but we want to do more. “We are already investing in upskilling our engineering team and today’s announcement of new jobs, including 400 in Scotland, underlines our commitment to make our Fibre First programme a reality – future-proofing Britain’s broadband network and supporting emerging mobile technologies like 5G.” “This latest recruitment represents a further major investment in Scotland, with permanent posts across the country from the Northern Isles to the Borders. We’re looking forward to men and women from all walks of life applying for these roles at Openreach as we’re keen to engage with the aspiring engineers of tomorrow and to build a diverse workforce that reflects the hugely diverse communities we serve.” Fraser, who started working with Openreach as an apprentice, added: “Becoming an engineer can be an incredibly rewarding career, and we’re constantly improving our training and recruitment programmes to make sure we attract and keep the best engineers in the business. “This year we’ve invested heavily in upskilling our people, so they can now do more for customers in a single visit, and we recently launched new career pathways to give our engineers a clear sense of the skills, accountabilities and experience they need to get where they want to be.” “We’re committed to helping people realise their potential so we’re also delighted to be offering work experience placements, under the Movement to Work programme, to 18-24 year olds who are currently not in education, employment or training. Scottish courses are held in places like Glasgow, Dundee, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.” You can find out more about the Openreach trainee engineer programme here. Like Loading...
UK telecoms infrastructure firm Openreach has launched its biggest-ever recruitment drive, looking to employ more than 3,500 trainee engineers across the country. The company wants more staff to ramp up its fibre-to-the-premises programme, which aims to connect three million homes by the end of 2018, and 10 million by the mid-2020s.