BT enlists apprentices for Wales fibre broadband rollout

BT has confirmed it will be taking on 20 new apprentices in Wales in order to meet the high demand for fibre broadband.

The telecommunications firm said the recruits will be enlisted to work on the construction and maintenance of networks, as well as data and voice services across the country's residential, commercial and public interests.

Training for the roles is expected to take place at one of the organisation's Openreach skill centres, which are located in Nelson, Cross Hands, Bangor, Kinnerton and Llanrumney.

Chief executive officer of Openreach Liv Garfield said it is important companies continue to invest in a "highly-skilled workforce", particularly considering the current economic climate.

"It is vital that we have the skilled engineers we need to maintain and improve our network, which is delivering an increasingly sophisticated range of services," she explained.

According to Ms Garfield, BT's apprenticeship scheme has been very popular, attracting more than 30,000 applications from across the UK.

This announcement came a month after the firm revealed it will be employing former armed forces personnel to deploy fibre broadband in Britain, with ten of the 200 planned recruits expected to be based in Wales.