BT will double its intake of apprentices next year as
part of a drive to increase the number of people having long-term
careers with the company.
The apprentices are expected to move through the ranks at BT
over the course of their careers, providing the company with its
next generation of middle managers and senior engineers.
Dave Walsh, head of apprenticeships at BT’s installation and
maintenance division, Openreach, said, “If you recruit engineers
directly, they tend to stay engineers. Apprentices are expected to
progress beyond engineering and move up through the business.”
Of some 200 people who completed their three-year
apprenticeships in September, more than 20 have already been
promoted to more senior roles within BT.
The new intake of apprentices, who will start their three-year
apprenticeships next summer, will study for the BTec telecoms
qualification in their first year.
Apprentices who pass the BTec will work for BT Openreach for
their second and third years. They will build corporate networks,
maintain the BT network and connect domestic users.
The 400 new starters will increase BT’s total number of
apprentices to 1,200 in mid-2007.
BT receives funding from the government’s Learning and Skills
Council for each apprentice.
Walsh said, “The business case would be seriously undermined if
we did not have the funding from the Learning and Skills
Council.”
The skills council pays twice as much for an apprentice aged 16
to 18 as it does for one aged 19 or 20. Companies receive no
funding for apprentices aged 25 or over.
www.lsc.gov.uk