BT struggles to fill 200 jobs at Black Country call centre

BT is struggling to fill more than 200 jobs at its flagship call centre in the Black Country – despite 1,500 people chasing the roles.

The phone giant today said the poor standard of applications meant it has filled just 54 of 300 customer advisor positions up for grabs at its offices in West Bromwich.

Careers advisors today said the situation highlighted the growing problem of skills shortages in the West Midlands, where unemployment is at a 17-year high and now stands at 243,000.

Jason Guy, of First5Staff agency in Chapel Ash, Wolverhampton, said it was a reflection of how unprepared many people are to find work after school.

A new report by Transform Sandwell – a branch of Sandwell Council which is partnered with BT – reveals the standard of applications to Adecco, which is handling the recruitment, has been weak. The posts, at the BT?centre in Providence Place, offer salaries of to £22,500 a year.

Fred Lynch, of Transform Sandwell, admitted: "We are not yet seeing a strong pipeline of candidates. The pre-Christmas recruitment slowed and, despite the quantity of applicants, we are not getting the quality of candidates we require."

BT, which employs around 8,000 across the West Midlands and Staffordshire, said today some applicants applied mistakenly thinking "entry level" call centre jobs were available when the roles require more complicated customer service work.

Spokeswoman Emma Tennant said 1,500 people had inquired about, registered an interest in, or submitted a formal application for one of the new customer service roles. Bosses had hoped for all new staff to be in place by the start of this year but have now been forced to organise two recruitment fairs on January 26 and 28.

Sandwell Council's scrutiny management board is now due to consider the difficulties surrounding filling the BT jobs.