Openreach has announced it will create and fill around 250 additional jobs across Wales during 2022 – including more than 200 apprenticeships – as it continues to invest billions of pounds into its UK broadband network, people and training.

The new recruits will be based across all parts of Wales including Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Powys, Pembrokeshire, Swansea, Cardiff and Newport working to build and connect customers to the company’s ultrafast, ultra-reliable Full Fibre broadband network.

The mammoth build is on track to reach 25 million UK homes and businesses by December 2026 and has already reached more than 425,000 properties in Wales.

The hiring spree – 4,000 new jobs are being created across the UK – is part of the largest recruitment drive in Openreach’s history and will also help deliver further improvements in customer satisfaction, which is at a record high.

With a workforce of around 2,300 across Wales, Openreach already employs the nation’s largest team of telecoms engineers and professionals and has committed to building a more diverse and inclusive team in an industry that’s traditionally been very white, male-dominated.

Last year, the company attracted 600 women into trainee engineering roles – more than double the previous year. Around 50 were recruited in Wales. The boost was thanks partly to employing language experts to transform its job adverts and descriptions, making them gender-neutral.

Clive Selley, CEO, Openreach, said:

“Openreach is a people business first and foremost, so I’m proud that we’re continuing to invest heavily in our people, having hired and trained more than 8,000 new engineers over the last two years.”

“We’re rightly recognised as one of the best big companies to work for in Wales and we’re determined to stay that way, so we’ve been building state of the art training schools where we can teach people the skills and techniques they need for long, exciting and rewarding careers in engineering.

“We want to reflect the communities we serve and give opportunities to people from all backgrounds, so I’m encouraged that we’ve recruited more women and minority groups this year compared to last year, but we’ve got much more to do in an industry that hasn’t been very diverse historically.

“These new recruits will play a crucial role as we continue to improve services for our customers and build the biggest and best broadband network in Wales and the rest of the UK, covering millions of rural and urban homes.”

Vaughan Gething, Wales’ Economy Minister, said:

“The Welsh Government wants to create a fairer and more prosperous Wales, where nobody is left behind. So I’m delighted Openreach are creating 250 new jobs across Wales, supporting our aim of creating new high-quality jobs in the industries and services of the future.

“I’m also delighted see more than 200 new, high-quality apprenticeships being created, providing invaluable opportunities for people from all sectors of society to start a rewarding career in engineering. This will support our mission of ensuring people are able to make their future here in Wales.”

The new roles offer a very competitive starting salaryand long-term career prospects, but candidates don’t need any formal qualifications to apply. All you need is a driving license, a strong work ethic, great customer service skills and an enthusiasm to work outdoors – Openreach will give you all the equipment and training you need to do the rest. Click here for a full list of employee benefits.

Alongside its recruitment drive, Openreach has committed to represent ONS measured levels of ethnic diversity3 across the UK and is aiming for at least 20% of its trainee engineer recruits to be women this year, with 50% of its external hires into management also to be women by 2025. You can read more about the company’s commitments to Diversity and Inclusion here.

Openreach also plans to retrain more than 3,000 of its existing engineers during the next year – changing their focus from fixing older, copper-based technologies to installing and maintaining faster, more reliable fibre connections. Last year, Openreach’s National Learning Centre for Wales in Newport was officially opened by the First Minister for Wales, Mark Drakeford and expects to train up to 6,000 new and existing Openreach engineers from across Wales, as well as further afield, during a typical year.