BT to recruit 70 staff in West Midlands and 600 across UK

The opportunities are part of BT's September 2022 intake in Birmingham and will see 41 graduates and 28 apprentices hired.

The firm will recruit more than 600 graduates and apprentices across the country and will offer roles across engineering, customer service, applied research and cyber-security.

Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said: "This is great news for Birmingham and will provide some fantastic job opportunities.

"I welcome BT’s investment in this city, including the creation of new technology and digital roles.

"Combined with the state-of-the-art new office at Three Snowhill, BT is proving itself to be a really exciting place for apprentices and graduates to be."

The new recruits will support the company’s plans to build and extend its 5G network around the UK.

Henrietta Brealey, CEO of Greater Birmingham chambers of commerce, added: "These are great work and training opportunities for people in the Birmingham area, and I welcome this commitment by BT.

"Apprenticeships and graduate roles are vitally important to our local economy and help to deliver the skills individuals and businesses alike need to thrive.

"Birmingham is the youngest city in Europe and these opportunities further strengthen the city and region’s ability to retain, attract and develop talent, something that is more important than ever at this stage of the COVID-19 pandemic."

BT opened its new regional hub at Three Snowhill in September last year and the 17-floor building will eventually accommodate around 3,500 colleagues from across BT Group, including digital network business Openreach.

Karamjit Kaur, a BT business graduate in cyber security at Three Snowhill, said: "I think that working at BT as a graduate has enabled me to develop and build new skills through practical work alongside the opportunity to gain qualifications that are relevant to the field that I am currently working in.

"I have also had the opportunity to experience a few different roles as a graduate which has enabled me get a better picture of what kind of role I would like to do as a career."

Alongside its apprenticeship and graduate scheme opportunities, BT is also investing in several initiatives to support young jobseekers.

These include BT’s Work Ready training scheme and FastFutures which have already helped thousands of young people kickstart their careers, providing opportunities for young people who aren't in employment, education or training and preparing them for the world of work.

Work Ready and FastFutures form part of BT’s Skills for Tomorrow ambition which aims to help 25m people in the UK develop the skills they need to make the most of life in the digital world by 2026.

For more information on how to apply for a BT apprenticeship or graduate placement, people can visit bt.com/careers/early-careers