Alternative network provider, CityFibre has committed to a three-year recruitment and training programme to provide up to 10,000 jobs upgrading the UK’s digital infrastructure to full fibre.
The programme will include the identification and training of thousands of unemployed UK residents, as well as opening up new job opportunities for qualified and experienced construction and telecoms workers. Jobs will be created within the provider’s pool of network construction partners. Specific groups will be targeted, including service-leavers and those now unemployed as a result of the Covid-19 crisis. It will also seek to attract more women and individuals from black, asian and minority ethnic backgrounds,.
CityFibre will work in partnership with a network of national employment and recruitment partners including The Department of Work and Pensions, Construction Industry Training Board and the Career Transition Partnership as well as a number of other specialists such as the Women's Engineering Society. Recruitment campaigns to identify the first wave of trainees will begin later this month. Wherever possible, individuals will be recruited locally from where the roll-out will take place, providing a much-needed boost to local employment and economies. On successful completion of their training, recruits will be introduced to CityFibre’s local network construction partners and considered for a range of network delivery roles.
Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden said: ‘Our £5bn commitment to bring faster, gigabit-speed internet to the whole country is key to ensuring everyone is better connected, creating jobs and powering the UK's economic recovery from coronavirus. We're working closely with firms like CityFibre and I warmly welcome their commitment to building a highly-skilled and diverse telecoms workforce which will boost growth right across the UK.’
Steve Holliday, chairman at CityFibre added: ‘We’re delighted to launch our training and recruitment programme creating up to 10,000 jobs in such a critical and vibrant sector. 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.’
