UK telecommunications company BT is looking to bring 1,400 new apprentices and graduates into the fold, through a fresh recruitment programme that is going to be conducted in Liverpool. According to the company, many of the new employees will be placed in a number of roles within the company, including software development, research, and cyber security. The roles will be spread in across various cities, including London, Belfast, Liverpool, Swansea, and Glasgow.
Speaking on behalf of the company, chief executive Gavin Patterson recognised the need for young graduates to develop their skills in areas such as information technology, engineering, and science to help them keep up with changing technology. Because the UK has consistently been at the forefront of digital technology, Mr. Patterson was confident the recruitment programme would help young people develop their interest in this area.
Much of the apprentices and graduate intake will be conducted at the company’s campus in Suffolk, with other divisions like EE and Openreach being expected to take on some of the recruits. BT has played a major role in ensuring the UK continues to innovate and develop digital technology and sees the recruitment drive as a means of keeping the motivation going. In the past two years, the company has created 1,700 apprenticeship and graduate jobs.
For many of these young graduates, the jobs will offer them an opportunity to learn and develop useful skills across an essential sector. Procorre is a global professional services consultancy that has successfully deployed over 1,500 skilled consultants to manage project life cycles across many industries, including telecommunications and technology. They understand that through schemes such as apprenticeships, employers are building foundations for the future. Providing opportunities for apprentices and graduates to gain practical experience is a positive step towards bridging an emerging technology skills gap.
The BT Experience
Apprentices at BT earn a salary while working alongside experienced professionals to learn the job-specific skills and knowledge required to thrive. As they work, apprentices can also continue attending school in pursuit of a recognised professional qualification. This helps them learn what it takes to establish a career in the field of their choosing.
BT offers different levels of apprenticeship programmes based on a person’s qualifications and what is of interest. The Advanced level apprenticeship programme is work-based and aims to have the apprentice gain Level 3 competency qualification that is supported by a qualification such as an NVQ (National Vocational Qualifications – work based awards gained through training and assessment).
The Higher level programme sees apprentices gain Level 4 competence qualification while also helping them achieve a degree. Lastly, apprentices can be enrolled for a full degree during which they embark on a work-based learning degree.
Apprentices are not expected to pay anything during their time in training. The length of the programme depends on the level of qualification and the type of apprenticeship enrolled in, but a typically they can take as much as four years to complete. The apprenticeship programmes are designed to provide a structured approach to learning the skills required to help an individual thrive in their preferred role. Hands-on training is expected as apprentices are paired with professionals. On a number of occasions, training can be carried out at local or specialised training institutions.
Benefits of apprenticeships and graduate programmes
Many large companies that embark on employing graduates and/or apprentices often have structured systems in place to accommodate them. Such companies tend to invest resources in bringing on board people that have demonstrated the academic ability, but lack the real world work experience. An apprenticeship or graduate trainee programme is the means to fill that gap. These programmes help applicants ease into the work life and empower them with the skills necessary to be productive members of the company.
By incorporating graduates and apprentices into a company culture and teaching them the knowledge and skills required to fit in, the employer gets to benefit from having a workforce that understands the company’s values and objectives. Young graduates bring energy and fresh perspective into the workplace, vigour that can help boost productivity in the workplace.
In recent years, employers have found it necessary to train graduates as a way of compensating for the skills gap that is evident in recruitment. Many employers have struggled to find ‘ready-made’ graduates that can seamlessly plug into the workplace, highlight the potential benefits of trainee programmes. This could also explain the reason why many graduates find it hard to find employment.
In all, BT’s move to add 1,400 new roles to the 1,700 jobs they’ve created in the past two years is a positive show of the company’s commitment to creating three million new roles by 2020, and a move that UK skills minister Nick Boles hopes will be emulated by other businesses.
Procorre 