BT Group PLC’s (LON:BT.A) networks unit Openreach is recruiting another 3,000 apprentice engineers to support the roll-out of ultra-fast fibre-to-the-home broadband to 3mln homes and businesses by the end of 2020.
In statements on its website, Openreach also announced the 11 new cities and towns where it would build fibre networks this year, including Bury, Greater Glasgow region, and Salford, bringing the total number of locations to 25.
READ: BT to post weaker third-quarter earnings as investors wait to hear from new boss
The firm - which is wholly owned by BT - manages Britain’s largest broadband network, with its infrastructure used by other providers such as Sky, TalkTalk Group PLC (LON:TALK), and Vodafone (LON:VOD).
The jobs — about 1,600 of which will be new roles — are an extension of the company’s largest-ever recruitment drive to hire 6,500 apprentice engineers this year and next.
The expansion news comes ahead of BT’s third-quarter trading update, due on Thursday, which is expected to bring weaker earnings and revenue as its new boss, picks up from where Gavin Patterson left off.
Before standing down as chief executive and handing over the reins to former Worldpay boss Philip Janson, Patterson unveiled his strategy to improve BT’s performance.
That included axing 13,000 jobs and launching new consumer packages that combine broadband, mobile and pay-TV as a single service and bill.
He also merged BT’s business and public sector divisions with the wholesale and ventures arm to create BT Enterprise in a bid to streamline operations.
READ: BT's fibre broadband roll-out plan is Deutsche Bank's 'biggest concern
In a preview, Deutsche Bank said it expects to see evidence that Patterson’s strategy is starting to bear fruit in the third quarter results.
However, it has said its biggest concern is how BT’s new boss grasps the roll-out of superfast fibre broadband to homes and businesses, given the costs involved and competition it faces from rivals doing the same thing.