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The three-year plan will include the training of thousands of unemployed UK residents, as well as new jobs for experienced construction and telecoms workers
Earlier this week, Total Telecom hosted a webinar discussing whether the UK’s lofty fibre broadband goals were still achievable in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Most the panellists said yes, but argued that there was still a host of barriers that needed to be overcome. Ensuring access to a highly skilled workforce was one such barrier.
Now, in a happy coincidence, CityFibre has announced a new recruitment drive that will look to create up to 10,000 UK jobs.
“We’re delighted to launch our training and recruitment programme creating up to 10,000 jobs in such a critical and vibrant sector. The programme will reach deep into our society to include some of those most in need of opportunity,” said CityFibre chairman Steve Holliday. “Ultimately, it will ensure the skilled workforce is in place to get the job done and at the same time provide up-skilling and well-paid jobs across more than 100 towns and cities.”
The new recruitment programme has clearly been devised with the goal of addressing social issues as well as unemployment itself, intending to attract demographics that are currently under-represented in the construction industry, such as women and individuals from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. The company also said it would work hard to recruit from areas targetted for fibre roll out, to help boost the local economy.
The recruitment drive will also work closely with a wide range of partners organisation, such as the Construction Industry Training Board, the Career Transition Partnership, and the Women’s Engineering Society.
“In the wake of the Coronavirus, delivering the Government’s target of full fibre nationwide by 2025 could not be more important. Of all the infrastructure projects and industrial policies under consideration, full fibre will have the biggest impact in the shortest time, and for the least public money. It will help ensure that the UK not only recovers economically, but that it swiftly transitions to a greener, smarter and fairer economy in which to thrive,” said Holliday.
The company plans to hire its first wave of trainees later this month.
Many in the telecoms world have been looking at 5G to revitalise the economy once the pandemic has subsided, but a nationwide push for fibre broadband will also be a key driver on both micro and macro levels. Even though the jobs themselves to roll out fibre may be temporary (at least, in the long term), the skills gained by this workforce will be significant and transferable, hopefully opening the door for further employment in the future.
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Ireland’s GoMo goes for more as it hits 200,000 customers
