BT has revealed plans to almost double its in-house digital talent team to 6,300 people.
1,000 new staff are to be hired in its Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Belfast, Ipswich and London hubs by April 2024, with a further 1,800 in India.
The roles are across product management, software engineering, cloud, design, data, AI and machine learning, and agile delivery.
“Digital was founded to accelerate BT’s transformation, innovation and return to growth. To succeed, we need to bring in and upskill the top digital talent, and our efforts will boost the tech communities in the UK and India along the way,” said Harmeen Mehta, chief digital and innovation officer at BT.
BT says it is also continuing with its ambitious programme of up- and re-skilling, including the development of an expansive learning resource, the BT Digital Campus, to ensure its existing talent can be at the cutting edge of digital technology.
The company says its FY23 financial outlook remains unchanged as the incremental costs associated with the hiring plans are offset by a reduction in its reliance on subcontracted labour.
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Entry talent could make up as many as 400 of the planned headcount, focused on apprentices, graduates, women returners and others starting their careers in digital.
The company is working with organisations like Code First Girls and 10,000 Black Interns and knows its success lies in working with a diverse range of talent.
Mehta added: “Diversity is a key focus in our recruitment efforts as we need a broad set of temperaments, mindsets and abilities to drive through the cultural transformation that comes hand-in-hand with this talent drive.”