BT centre in Glasgow is recruiting up to 10 more apprentices this year

BT is recruiting up to 10 modern apprentices to its business customer contact operations in Glasgow, joining more than 30 working in business billing. The new recruits will help businesses of varying sizes and complexity with their billing queries.

BT employs more than 600 people in its Glasgow call centres in a range of functions from directory enquiries and 999 emergency calls to consumer sales, business sales and business billing. It also employs a number of apprentices employed in engineering roles such as software development and network planning.

Paul McQueenie from Cathcart, who has just been promoted from his apprenticeship with business billing, is encouraging other people to apply. He said: “I’d worked in a retail environment where there was limited career progression and I was looking to develop new skills and move forward with my career when I heard about the BT apprenticeships. I’ve learnt new skills like problem solving and customer service through the training I’ve received. BT has lots of opportunities across the company, which was one of the reasons I applied.

“In my spare time, I’m studying towards a BSc in computing science with the Open University and I’ve been able to use some of the skills I’ve developed through the course in my day job. I helped to develop some software to speed up the way bills are calculated. I’m looking forward to working in advancing my career with BT.”

Brendan Dick, director of BT Scotland, said: “Our contact centre in Glasgow is a thriving community made up of experienced people who are passionate about helping customers.

“We’re looking to develop a core group of talent in Glasgow. The people we have recruited so far come from different backgrounds but they are all very switched on and keen to learn new skills and do a good job. We plan to bring in another 10 full-time apprentices in the coming months, and there may be more to come.

“A BT apprenticeship opens the door to a great career. Once recruits have completed their initial SVQ qualification, they can go on to pursue a path into management or other opportunities, such as engineering.”

Gordon McGuinness, depute director of industry and enterprise networks at Skills Development Scotland, said: ““We welcome this announcement from BT on their new apprenticeship roles in Glasgow. Modern Apprenticeships bring enormous benefits to businesses - new talent, new skills and new ideas to the company. It’s so important to give young people an opportunity to get into work and gain valuable skills and relevant qualifications.”

Anyone interested in a BT apprenticeship can find out more at www.bt4me.co.uk