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 locations including Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Ipswich, Leeds, London and Manchester².

Many of these state-of-the-art offices form part of BT Group’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, will establish an estate of future fit, high tech workspaces where colleagues can collaborate, innovate and deliver the best service for BT Group’s customers and for the business.

BT Group is one of the UK’s largest private sector apprenticeship employers and has recruited more than 2,600 apprentices and graduates over the past four years. The company has around 4,000 colleagues working towards their qualifications at any given time.

Athalie Williams, Chief Human Resources Officer, BT Group said: “As one of the largest private sector employers of apprentices and graduates in the UK, we continue to recruit and attract brilliant people into our business and we offer unparalleled development opportunities to those who join us.

“Despite the current economic backdrop, we’re building a future pipeline of talent to help drive growth across our business, deliver great outcomes for all of our customers and to underpin economic growth in the UK.”

In 2022, BT Group was ranked third in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers in the UK and as part of its Manifesto for responsible, inclusive, and sustainable growth the company has pledged to build a more diverse talent pool.

Alongside its apprenticeship and graduate scheme opportunities, BT Group is investing in several initiatives to support young people and jobseekers. These include Work Ready and Fast Futures which have already helped thousands of young people kickstart their careers, providing opportunities for young people looking to launch their careers and preparing them for the world of work.

Work Ready and FastFutures form part of BT Group’s ambition to help 25m people in the UK develop the skills they need to make the most of life in the digital world by 2026 and to build a diverse digital talent pipeline for the business and the UK.  

For more information on how to apply for an apprenticeship or graduate job at BT Group, please visit: https://www.bt.com/earlycareers

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers: Top apprenticeship employers for 2022 announced - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• BT Group wants its workforce to have a 50% gender split, with 25% from an ethnic minority group, and 17% with a disability by 2030. For more information about the BT Group Manifesto, visit https://www.bt.com/btmanifesto
• BT Group is a partner of the Fast Futures  programme which helps provide equal opportunities to 18-22-year olds who are looking to shape their future career. Over the course of 12-weeks, participants learn business-focused skills that are most valued by the employers of today, such as marketing, data, finance, teamwork and problem solving.
• For more information about our Work Ready programme and our digital skills programme please visit: https://www.bt.com/skillsfortomorrow

For further information please contact Adam Emberson on 07740 008408

¹ 422 jobs: 187 graduate and 235 apprentice roles.

² Field based roles are located in communities across the country.

The past few years have created new ways of working and doing business. A time of significant change has caused many to think about whether their current career path is right for them long-term.

According to research we conducted, 69% of people would reskill and work in a different field if given the opportunity. The number of workers looking to switch careers in the “great resignation” is an unprecedented opportunity to tackle the cyber skills gap.

What’s clear from our research, though, is the cyber security industry itself is still facing an uphill battle around perceptions and awareness. Before being told more about the sector, only 4% of UK adults would consider cyber as an alternative industry if they were to retrain. This reduced to as little as 1% in females.

We recently launched a first-of-a-kind 16-week reskilling programme, in collaboration with CAPSLOCK, to tackle the shortfall of people with cyber security skills and continue our commitment to investing in our people. The initiative will see people across various areas of the BT business retrained and placed into crucial cyber security roles, all while keeping their pay cheque.

The scheme is all about opening doors for those who might not have seen an obvious way into a security career, while also challenging many of the perceptions and barriers that are preventing people from considering careers in cyber security.

Perceived barriers to entry in cyber security

So, what’s the extent of the problem? Well, the cyber security industry is still perceived as opaque and inaccessible to many. When asked why they didn’t see cyber security as a viable career path, over two thirds (38%) of people said they didn’t know enough about the sector, while 32% said cyber sounded too technical for them, and a quarter (25%) cited age as a potential barrier. When asked to imagine a cyber security professional, 39% of people imagined someone with a bachelor’s degree or above.

The reality is that our industry requires a broad array of skills and there are a wealth of different roles in the industry, many of which rely on transferable skills that many people already possess. Those with the right attitude and determination can thrive in the cyber security industry, irrespective of their experience, education or age.

Insurmountable barriers to reskilling

The sector clearly has a way to go in addressing misconceptions, but there are also more general concerns about switching careers. Almost half (42%) of the UK’s workforce feel unable to leave their current career path.

Amongst those who feel barriers to switching careers are too great, over a third (31%) believe they are too old to learn new skills, 28% say the uncertainty of getting a foot in the door of a new industry is their biggest worry and 24% said they said they can’t afford to take time off to get the necessary accreditations for their dream role.

While addressing misperceptions of the cyber security industry is the right step in encouraging more people to consider the profession, we must also offer pragmatic routes into the industry. Reskilling programmes are a key part of how organisations can retain and grow talent, by identifying individuals with relevant interests, potential, and transferable skills and supporting them to reach their full potential.

Our recently announced reskilling opportunity is just one example of how we’re committed to the development of our own people’s careers. Outside of BT, we’re also proud to support the public through our Skills for Tomorrow programme. Since the start of the pandemic, our Work Ready webinars have boosted digital and employability skills, covering topics such as CVs and job interviews.

For more information on our reskilling programme in collaboration with CAPSLOCK 

For more information on careers at BT Security, visit our careers page