Openreach to open Swindon training centre ahead of firm’s largest ever recruitment drive

Telecoms infrastructure giant Openreach is to open a new training centre in Swindon ahead of plans to roll out ultrafast broadband around the country.

Openreach is creating 3,500 new roles over the next 12 months as part of its largest ever recruitment drive. Just over 450 of those roles will be in the South West.

Swindon will be the home of one of twelve new training centres. The facilities at Cheney Manor Industrial Estate have been simulate the typical British street, giving new recruits and existing engineers the opportunity to develop and enhance their skills in “an authentic, immersive and controlled environment”.

Openreach’s Fibre First programme aims to deliver expanded full fibre FTTP networks in up to 40 towns, cities and boroughs, setting it on a trajectory to reach ten million British premises by the mid-2020s.

It has committed to making FTTP available in three million British homes and business by the end of 2020 and – if the conditions are right – intends to go significantly further, bringing the benefits of FTTP technology to the majority of homes and businesses in the UK.

Clive Selley, chief executive of Openreach, said:“These trainee engineers will be playing a vital role in the future success and prosperity of the UK.

“Over the last year our 22,200 engineers have been the driving force behind Government reaching its target of making ‘superfast’ broadband available to more than 95 per cent of the country, whilst also improving our customer service performance – but we want to do more.

“Every day, Openreach engineers are working in all weathers across the length and breadth of Britain, connecting homes and businesses and making sure people can access the high quality broadband services they need.

“We are already investing in upskilling our engineering team and today’s announcement of new jobs, including 455 in the South West, underlines our commitment to make our Fibre First programme a reality – future-proofing Britain’s broadband network and supporting emerging mobile technologies like 5G.”

Emma Howarth, programme director in the South West for Openreach, said: “This latest recruitment represents a further major investment in the South West.

“It’s very exciting news for our region. 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.

“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 up-skilling 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.”