Telecoms provider Fibrus has signed up nine people to its graduate programme as it rolls out full fibre broadband in the region.
In 2022, Fibrus was chosen to deliver the £108 million broadband improvement contract for Cumbria to bring next generation broadband services to homes and businesses that might have otherwise missed out on gigabit upgrades.
It was part of Project Gigabit, the UK Government’s rollout of lightning-fast, reliable broadband across the UK.
At the end of last month, Fibrus announced it had signed an extension to this contract, providing an additional 21,000 premises in Cumbria with access to Full Fibre broadband.
Andrew Lee, 35, of Kendal, joined the Hyperfast GB team, the wholesale network division of Fibrus, in July as a stakeholder engagement graduate after completing a criminology degree at Lancaster University.
To date, nine graduates have joined the company through the programme, successfully completing the Business Essentials Programme and the Mentoring Programme.
The graduates have been integrated into various teams, including Stakeholder Engagement, GIS Technology, Workforce Management, and Project Management.
Andrew said: “I’m part of a team that speaks to politicians, members of the public, schools and businesses to explain the benefits of full fibre broadband.
“We attend parish council meetings, agricultural shows, and various engagement events. The most common question is, ‘When am I going to get full fibre?’
“There’s no such thing as a standard day, it’s quite varied. I enjoy a job with challenges and find it really engaging.
“I’ve been given responsibility for engagement with schools and will soon start going to talk to sixth formers. I share information about how we deliver fibre to the premises technologies and the benefits that this brings. I also discuss Fibrus opportunities and careers available in the telecoms space.”
Prior to university, Andrew had been working in a customer contact centre in Windermere but found the job repetitive.
He said: “I had the opportunity to do an access course in policing and forensics at Kendal College, which allowed me to go to university as a mature student.
“I was fascinated by criminology but knew it wouldn’t necessarily lead to a career. I was looking at graduate job opportunities and came across Fibrus.
“I really liked the vision of Fibrus, that every home should be able to access full fibre broadband. Everyone should have access, it’s a basic service which makes a real difference to communities.
“The positive and open culture at Fibrus has given me the opportunity to try out different approaches and see what is most engaging for the young people I am speaking to, which is why it is a dynamic and fun role for me.”
Fibrus is offering work experience placements to students aged 16 to 18 from local schools and colleagues this spring.
Students will be invited to the Newton Rigg training site in Penrith and will have the opportunity to engage in a comprehensive and interactive learning experience. Activities will include business administration, marketing, stakeholder engagement, health and safety, apprenticeship insight and technical insights.
