Openreach embraces virtual reality to hire 195 trainee engineers in Scotland

Openreach today announced a major expansion of its engineering workforce with plans to recruit more than 195 trainees in Scotland in its drive to improve customer service and invest in the operation of its network.

The local network business, which is part of BT Group, will be seeking recruits from across the country to fill the new, full-time and permanent roles to extend its fibre broadband network, improve customer service and keep Scotland connected.

It is part of a UK-wide initiative to hire 1,500 trainee engineers over the next eight months. Openreach expects to recruit about 195 people in locations across Scotland, including Aberdeen, East Kilbride, Glasgow, Falkirk, Inverness, Stirling, Wick, Orkney and the Western Isles.

In a ground-breaking approach to recruitment, potential candidates will be able to discover exactly what life as a field engineer involves, with the help of virtual reality (VR). The company is trialling a VR experience which enables interested applicants to don a headset and experience climbing a telephone pole or exploring the local exchange building in immersive 3D, from the perspective of a real engineer.

Across the UK, it is expected that an initial intake of 119 recruits will join the company in April, followed by around 60 new recruits joining each week through to mid-October. New trainees will embark on a tailored 12 month accredited learning programme - including on-the-job experience and culminating with the attainment of an externally recognised qualification for IT, Software and Telecoms professionals.

Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Keith Brown said: “I am delighted that Openreach has expanded its presence in Scotland, with plans to recruit a further 195 trainees. Working in partnership with Openreach, we are committed to extending connectivity across Scotland and these trainees will play a vital part in delivering this and other benefits to service users. These new engineers will be fully trained and able to work towards a professional qualification, boosting Scotland’s skilled engineering resource for the future.”

Openreach chief executive, Clive Selley, said: “Improving customer service is our number one priority so we’re investing in our people to make sure we deliver.

“Our customers need us to install new lines and repair our network faster than ever, and by increasing the number of people working on proactive network maintenance, we can fix more issues before people even notice them.

"We are also continuing to roll out superfast broadband services at scale and making big investments in our network to make ultrafast broadband available to up to 12 million homes by the end of 2020. We want to recruit the very best people to help us on that journey and our new trainee engineering roles will offer people the hands on experience they need to succeed.”

Kevin Brady, human resources director for Openreach, explained: “Everyone wonders what it might be like to work for a company when they apply for a job, but we’re giving people the ability to physically see it and experience it for themselves.

“We get people from all walks of life applying for roles at Openreach and an increasing number of women wanting to be engineers, which is fantastic. Becoming an engineer can be a very rewarding career choice, and of course some aspects of the job are both mentally and physically challenging. We know, for example, that climbing a pole for the first time can be daunting for new recruits, and that’s why we wanted to give people a real insight into what’s involved. Hopefully it will help them to make a more informed decision when they come to apply.”

Fraser Rowberry, general manager for Openreach in Scotland, said: “We know from past experience that Scotland is an excellent place to recruit skilled and motivated people, who make great engineers. Openreach is able to offer them a rewarding career in an exciting and fast moving industry. The trainee engineers will be playing a vital part in the future success and prosperity of our country. High-speed communications have never been more important for local households and businesses – and will become even more important in the years ahead.”

The 360 degree videos are available to watch on our YouTube channel and can be viewed on any PC, tablet or VR headset. Videos include an engineer’s eye view from the top of a telephone pole, a virtual tour of a telephone exchange and a look inside a green roadside cabinet.

The business also intends to trial them in-person with potential applicants at recruitment roadshows and events throughout the year.

The business remains keen to further increase diversity in the workforce, including the recruitment of more female engineers. It recently joined forces with other technology firms to create a new mentoring scheme – Step into STEM – which encourages schoolgirls to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics careers.

Across the UK, Openreach has hired 5,000 engineers and more than 900 apprentices and graduates over the last four years.

Find out more about our Trainee Engineer Scheme.

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