Hundreds of jobs to be created as Openreach launches its largest recruitment drive in Peterborough

The recruitment drive will be the largest ever for the company which is looking to hire more than 4,000 engineers across the UK.

About 400 will be recruited for the East of England - including more than 300 apprentices - with most expected to pass through the Openreach’s training school in Saville Road, Westwood.

The hiring spree comes as Openreach continues to invest billions of pounds in its UK broadband network, people and training.

The new recruits will be based across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.

The company is on track to reach 25 million UK homes and businesses by December 2026 including hundreds of thousands in the East of England.

Clive Selley, chief executive, 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 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.

He added: “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 the UK, covering millions of rural and urban homes.”

Openreach employs the UK’s largest team of telecoms engineers and professionals, and has committed to building a more diverse and inclusive team.

Last year, the company attracted 600 women into trainee engineering roles – more than double the previous year.

The boost was thanks partly to employing language experts to transform its job adverts and descriptions, making them gender neutral.

The jobs drive will provide Peterborough with an employment boost at a time when the city jobless numbers have fallen by 20 per cent to 9,368 people in the last year.

The Department of Work and Pensions is hosting a number of jobs fairs in Peterborough over the next few months to help companies that are struggling to find enough staff to fill all their vacancies.

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