Quickline apprenticeship scheme reaps rewards across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

Mohammed Ameen, graduate apprentice installation engineer.

ALMOST 130 people from across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire have boosted their skills and career prospects through an apprenticeship scheme led by independent broadband provider Quickline.

The East Yorkshire-based provider is celebrating the graduation of three fibre installation engineers, while apprenticeships are continuing in roles across finance, IT, HR and technical support.

Through a collaborative approach with contractors working on the rollout of Quickline’s full fibre network, a total of 128 apprenticeships have been undertaken across the region.

Quickline’s build partners driving opportunities include:

• OCU Group Opals, a telecoms infrastructure services company, which has launched 12 apprenticeships in roles including        HR, marketing, management and learning and development.
• PBS Construction, a Hull-based construction firm, with 36 apprenticeships currently underway.
• Other partners, including Rapid Response Telecoms, Cumberland Comms and Spectrum Comms Solutions, are also                supporting the scheme.

Apprenticeships are supporting Project Gigabit contracts across a range of functions. By integrating early careers talent into the project environment, individuals are gaining practical industry experience while contributing to the rollout of critical fibre infrastructure.

Quickline’s apprenticeship scheme forms part of the company’s commitment to Project Gigabit, the UK government’s programme enabling hard-to-reach communities to access fast, reliable gigabit-capable broadband.

UK Telecoms Minister, Liz Lloyd, said: “Project Gigabit is about more than delivering fast, reliable broadband - it’s about transforming communities across the UK.

“Our investment in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire has created these apprenticeships, opening new career opportunities for young people and giving them practical skills and experience to set them up for life.

“By backing local talent alongside world‑class connectivity, we are helping communities thrive and ensuring the benefits of our rollout are felt across the region.”

Lee Firth, Group Learning and Development Manager at OCU, said: “Project Gigabit is not only transforming digital connectivity across the UK, it is also creating opportunities to develop the next generation of industry professionals.

“By integrating early careers talent directly into major infrastructure projects, we are giving them meaningful experience while helping to address the long-term skills needs of the utilities and telecoms sectors.”

Stuart Farmer, Quickline’s Learning and Development Manager, added: “Apprenticeships are an important pathway for people nowadays and a great entry into a career. It is vital that we are involved and offer opportunities to as many people as possible.

“Working collaboratively with our build partners has allowed us to expand the scheme not only in numbers but also geographically, with apprentices now located across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.”