BT HAS brought more than 100 new people into the firm across the north west as part of a nationwide recruitment drive.

These latest additions have included 84 engineers and 22 apprentices in the region to help install new lines and fix faults.

28 of the new recruits hailed from Lancashire, while 19 came from Cumbria.

The latest cohort will be working on rolling out fibre broadband to households and businesses across the area, adding to the 3m that already have access to high speed internet.

Mike Blackburn, BT regional director for the north west, said: “This latest recruitment represents another major investment by BT in the north west as a leading employer and provider of essential services.

“New recruits are now embarking on exciting careers in a fast-moving industry, which is making a major contribution to the future success of the north west.

“Already, they are working hard to ensure that local households and businesses get the best possible service whether they have ordered the latest new technology, such as superfast fibre broadband, or simply reported a fault.

He added: “Given our focus on service, we’ve recruited people who can connect with customers and give them a very good experience they’ll remember.

“In return, they have the opportunity of a fantastic career in a company that’s at the forefront of building the UK’s connected future.”

The nationwide initiative has seen Openreach employ 5,000 engineers and over 700 apprentices across the UK in the last three years.

Clive Selley, chief executive of Openreach, said: “Improving the service that we provide to customers is my number one priority, and these new engineering recruits will be helping us connect more people on time and fix faults faster.

“Openreach is already rolling out superfast fibre broadband and is helping the Government achieve its aim of reaching 95 per cent of UK premises by the end of 2017.

“As we take the UK beyond superfast, many of these engineers will also be helping us get ultrafast speeds to up to 12 million homes by the end of 2020.

“We’re making big investments to build and maintain our network, but we recognise there’s much more to do and we want to attract the very best people to help us on that journey.”