Virgin Media O2 jobs and skills boost with 200 new apprenticeship roles

As the UK marks National Apprenticeship Week (7-13 February 2022), Virgin Media O2 is announcing it is creating more than 200 new apprenticeship roles across the country.

The roles will support Virgin Media O2 in its aim of upgrading the UK with first class gigabit broadband and 5G mobile services, while providing a vital skills boost to communities and the economy.

Currently, there are more than 100 apprenticeship roles available from engineering – which includes the installation of broadband and TV services in customers’ homes, to the expansion and maintenance of our gigabit network, as well as digital marketing, project management, and more. 

The apprenticeship roles are based nationwide, including London, Bellshill (North Lanarkshire, Scotland), Birmingham, Bristol, Gateshead, Manchester, Reading and Sheffield.

All roles are offered on a permanent contract with a minimum starting salary of £19,000 – well above the UK’s average for an apprenticeship scheme.

Further apprenticeship roles will be available later this year.

To find out more information about the roles available and to apply, click here.

An employer for everyone

Virgin Media O2’s award-winning early careers programme – which covers apprenticeships, graduates and internships – is focussed on people’s potential, rather than their knowledge or prior experience, and strives to create opportunities for everyone.

As a result, the company does not require CVs for early careers’ roles, offers many apprenticeships which require no prior qualifications or a maximum of 5 GCSE grades 4-9 (or equivalent Level 2 qualification), and carries out ‘blind recruitment’ to remove any potential bias from the shortlisting process to level the playing field for all applicants.

Virgin Media O2 committed to creating 1,000 apprenticeship roles when it joined forces as one company last summer, and it has already enrolled more than 250 people onto apprenticeship schemes.  This is on top of the roles available via the company’s graduate and internship programmes.

Virgin Media O2’s vacancies come as latest figures show that more than 10% of young people aged 16 to 24 were not in education, employment or training (NEET) from July to September 2021 – an increase on the previous quarter, underpinning the importance of employers offering apprenticeships and skills to help level up communities.

Philipp Wohland, Chief People and Transformation Officer, Virgin Media O2, said:

“We’re building a future-proof workforce which has the skills we need to upgrade the UK with the first-class connectivity the country needs now and for the future.

“Our apprenticeships offer fantastic on-the-job training where people can earn while they learn on a permanent contract, and they are supported every step of the way.

“Virgin Media O2 is a great place to work and we’re creating a culture where everyone has an opportunity to thrive.”

Digital Infrastructure Minister, Julia Lopez, said:

“We need a new generation of talented young people to help bring us the benefits of better broadband and mobile coverage to people and businesses.

“The new apprenticeships at Virgin Media O2 are a welcome addition to our innovative telecoms workforce and show our plan to boost investment in digital infrastructure is levelling up the UK.”

Great opportunities

In addition to the apprenticeship roles, Virgin Media O2 is also hiring around 280 roles which are available nationwide.

The roles are available in customer service based in Birmingham, Manchester and Sheffield, as well as at O2 retail stores which are located across the country.

To apply for a Virgin Media role, click here, and for an O2 role, here.