Openreach to create 4,000 new jobs and 3,000 apprenticeships in 2022 in biggest ever recruitment drive

Openreach will create thousands of new jobs and apprenticeships this year as part of plans to expand its ultrafast broadband across the UK.

The company said the new roles are part of its investment in connecting 25 million homes and businesses to full-fibre broadband by the end of 2026.

A total of 4,000 jobs will be created in the largest recruitment drive in Openreach’s history, along with 3,000 apprenticeships.

The new roles will be based across the UK and will offer a “very competitive starting salary and long-term career prospects”.

Candidates do not need any formal qualifications to apply, other than a driving licence.

New trainee engineering roles come with a starting salary of £21,845 and recruits can be earning up to £28,353 after 12 months of specialist training to achieve an NVQ level 2.

A more diverse workforce

Openreach also said it is committed to building a more diverse workforce in an industry that has traditionally been seen as dominated by white men.

Last year, the company recruited 600 women into trainee engineering roles, which is more than double the previous year, after employing language experts to ensure the job adverts were gender neutral.

The company is aiming for at least 20% of its trainee engineer recruits to be women this year, with 50% of its external hires into management also to be women by 2025.

Clive Selley, chief executive of Openreach, said: “Openreach is a people business first and foremost, so I’m proud that we’re continuing to invest heavily in our people, having hired and trained more than 8,000 new engineers over the last two years.

“We’re rightly recognised as one of the best big companies to work for in the UK, and we’re determined to stay that way, so we’ve been building state-of-the-art training schools all over the country where we can teach people the skills and techniques they need for long, exciting and rewarding careers in engineering.

“We want to reflect the communities we serve and give opportunities to people from all backgrounds, so I’m encouraged that we’ve recruited more women and minority groups this year compared to last year, but we’ve got much more to do in an industry that hasn’t been very diverse historically.”

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