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The job of turning Scotland’s broadband not-spots into hot-spots is in the hands of a new generation of digital engineers.
More than 4000 people keen to surf the digital wave recently applied for 400 trainee engineering roles being created by Openreach as it gears up for a major rollout of ultrafast broadband.
The new recruits will have to go back to school – at a new national training centre in Livingston – where they’ll get to work on a replica street, designed to give them a real-life taste of the job.
There they’ll work on a live fibre network that connects to an office, shop, and houses through pavements, ducts, poles and cabinets.
Training will include how to safely set up a working area, install and repair lines, and splicing together hair-breadth fibres. And it won’t all be done in the comfort of an indoor classroom either as an extra dose of reality comes in the form of exposure to the elements during outdoor training sessions.
The number of applicants for the Openreach posts illustrates the growing demand for telecoms engineers needed to rollout Scotland’s broadband programme. As this is unlikely to fade any time soon, here are some of the necessary skills to become a broadband star in engineering.
You can make connections
This applies not only with wires and cables but also customers as dealing with the public is a big part of the job. A broadband engineer might work solo sometimes but you’ll be interacting with customers all day long – so being personable and approachable is vital.
You love detail
There’s no room for the broad-brush approach here. A typical day might include visiting a street cabinet to check on wiring, finding and fixing faults, and installing sockets and routers, so an engineer needs to be an eagle-eyed problem solver – the kind that can find the right piece in a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle.
You love being on the road
If you like the idea of having your own desk, mug and paper clip holder, this isn’t the job for you. Your van will be pretty much your office as you go from job to job, working inside and out. Being in Scotland, it also helps if you don’t mind working in every kind of weather.
You’re keen on new technology
You’ll need to know your 2G from your 3 and 4 and have an idea when 5G is about to come knocking. Keeping abreast of tech changes means you can more easily adapt when using smart devices and new software.
Surf’s up, dudes, so visit s1jobs for the latest Engineering and Telecommunications vacancies.