BT Plans almost 100 New Apprenticeships in North West
More customer service and engineering apprentices to be recruited across the region this year
Liverpool will benefit from new drive of recruitment in North West as Chamber of Commerce says apprentices are life blood of the economy
Liverpool will be one of the locations to benefit most from a major BT recruitment drive of apprentices across the UK, it was announced today.
There will be 30 new apprenticeships in the city this year in customer service roles at BT’s customer contact centre in Globe Street. The remainder will be mainly engineering jobs in BT’s local network business, Openreach.
The customer service apprentices will be part of a rapidly developing operation dealing with a wide range of customer issues, including enquiries about BT Sport, superfast fibre broadband and mobile communications.
The Liverpool jobs boost is part of a recent national BT announcement to create 1,000 new apprenticeships and graduate jobs in the UK. It is expected that more than 96 apprentices and graduates will be recruited across the North West as a whole. Other North West towns and cities to benefit include Accrington, Blackburn, Manchester and Stockport.
The new recruits will join the 139 people already undergoing BT apprenticeships in the North West with 56 of those graduating this year.
Lancaster House in Globe Way, Old Hall Street, is the base for one of BT’s major customer contact centres in the UK, employing 141 customer service advisers and managers and handling more than 5,080 inquiries a day. Further information about BT apprenticeships and how to make an application is available at: http://www.bt.com/apprentices
Jenny Stewart, chief executive of the Liverpool and Sefton Chambers of Commerce, said: “Apprenticeships are the life blood of the economy. Any person with ambition can get a real job early on. We are winning the argument that apprenticeships can support people who don’t want to follow an academic route. The type of apprenticeships that BT is announcing will introduce people to real work experience and help them develop a real work ethic.”
Kieron Charleson, BT regional partnership director for the North West , said: “This latest announcement is great news for Liverpool and the North West as a whole and further confirmation of the vital role played by BT as an innovator, investor and creator of jobs in the region. Such recruitment is a major vote of confidence in the quality of the North West workforce and the abilities and commitment of people in our region.
“An apprenticeship with one of the world’s leading telecommunications companies is a great way to start a rewarding career, offering first class personal development opportunities.
“BT has a very strong reputation as a leading employer and with major developments, such as our multi billion pound investments in superfast broadband, mobile communications, TV and sport, the prospects have never looked brighter or more exciting.”
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