BT today announced plans to recruit nearly 70 graduates and apprentices in Birmingham for its September 2022 intake (41 graduates and 28 apprentices).
The announcement is part of the company’s plans to recruit more than 600[1] graduates and apprentices across the UK this year.
The company will recruit talent into the company across areas as diverse as engineering, customer service, applied research, and cyber-security to support the UK’s fast-growing digital sectors. The new recruits will also support the company’s plans to build and extend its 5G network around the UK.
The new roles are spread across a number of other locations including Belfast, Bristol, Dundee, Glasgow, Ipswich, London and Manchester[2].
Many of these state-of-the-art offices form part of BT’s Better Workplace Programme - the largest workplace improvement programme and consolidation scheme of its type ever undertaken in the UK. The programme, which will complete in 2024, has already opened future fit, high-tech workspaces in locations including Three Snowhill in Birmingham, London and Warrington where colleagues can collaborate, innovate and deliver the best for BT’s customers and for the business.
BT Group is one of the UK’s largest private sector apprenticeship employers and has recruited more than 2,000[3] apprentices and graduates over the past three years. The company has around 4,000 colleagues working towards their qualifications at any given time.
Henrietta Brealey, CEO of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said:
“These are great work and training opportunities for people in the Birmingham area, and I welcome this commitment by BT. “Apprenticeships and graduate roles are vitally important to our local economy and help to deliver the skills individuals and businesses alike need to thrive. Birmingham is the youngest city in Europe and these opportunities further strengthen the city and region’s ability to retain, attract and develop talent – something that is more important than ever at this stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said:
“This is great news for Birmingham and will provide some fantastic job opportunities. I welcome BT’s investment in this city, including the creation of new technology and digital roles. Combined with the state-of-the-art new office at Three Snowhill, BT is proving itself to be a really exciting place for apprentices and graduates to be.”
Karamjit Kaur, a BT business graduate in cyber security at Three Snowhill, said:
“I think that working at BT as a graduate has enabled me to develop and build new skills through practical work alongside the opportunity to gain qualifications that are relevant to the field that I am currently working in. I have also had the opportunity to experience a few different roles as a graduate which has enabled me get a better picture of what kind of role I would like to do as a career”
Debbie White, Chief Human Resources Officer, BT Group said:
“BT is at the heart of the UK’s digital economy and as one of the largest employers of graduates and apprentices in the UK, we offer unparalleled development opportunities. “Despite the uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve continued to recruit and attract brilliant people into our business. The combination of our hybrid working approach and our state-of-the-art offices makes BT a great place for new joiners to learn new skills and capabilities, collaborate with colleagues and bring innovative thinking to drive growth across our business and deliver for all of our customers. It’s a very exciting time to join BT.”
In 2020, BT was ranked fourth in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers in the UK and recently launched its Manifesto for responsible, inclusive, and sustainable growth. To build a bigger, more diverse talent pool, the company wants its workforce to have a 50% gender split, with 25% from an ethnic minority group, and 17% with a disability by 2030.
Alongside its apprenticeship and graduate scheme opportunities, BT is also investing in several initiatives to support young jobseekers. These include BT’s Work Ready training scheme and FastFutures which have already helped thousands of young people kickstart their careers, providing opportunities for young people who aren't in employment, education or training and preparing them for the world of work.
Work Ready and FastFutures form part of BT’s Skills for Tomorrow ambition which aims to help 25m people in the UK develop the skills they need to make the most of life in the digital world by 2026.
BT opened its new regional hub at Three Snowhill in September last year. The 17-floor building will eventually accommodate around 3,500 colleagues from across BT Group, including digital network business Openreach.
For more information on how to apply for a BT apprenticeship or graduate placement, please visit: https://www.bt.com/careers/early-careers
[1] 622 jobs: 286 graduate and 336 apprentice roles. Excluding Openreach.
[2] Field based roles are located in communities across the county
[3] Excludes Openreach trainee engineer roles Openreach builds back better and greener with more than 5,000 new jobs and an all-Electric Vehicle fleet to upgrade the nation’s broadband.