BT today announced plans to recruit 26 graduates and apprentices in Belfast for its September 2022 intake (26 jobs: 13 graduates and 13 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 Birmingham, 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 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.
Local recent graduate, PJ Bowman, said: “I am an advocate of both BT’s placement and graduate schemes. I initially joined as a placement student during my degree, returning on the HR graduate programme and it was one of the best decisions that I have made. It is such an interesting job, no two days are ever the same! It has given me so many learning opportunities to broaden my skillset with access to valuable resources that can be used for development and growth across the business.”
Ann McGregor, Chief Executive, Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, added: “It is great to see BT continuing to invest in local talent through the announcement of these jobs. Providing apprentice opportunities and graduate roles which will develop digital skill-sets is exactly what we need to prepare Northern Ireland’s economy for the future.
“BT is a major employer, so we welcome this announcement and its continued long-term presence in Northern Ireland. This announce is testament to the skills of our local workforce and BT’s confidence in it.”
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.
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.
