Apprentices help Lancashire get Superfast

Lancashire-based apprentices at the forefront of the Superfast Lancashire roll-out of fibre broadband have been giving the county council leader an insight into their work and its challenges.

Superfast Lancashire - the partnership between Lancashire County Council and BT - will make high-speed fibre broadband available to 97 per cent of premises in the county by the end of the year.

Jennifer Mein, leader of Lancashire County Council said they were crucial to the success of the high-speed roll-out of fibre broadband.

“They were full of enthusiasm for their roles which are enabling them to gain the skills and experience they need to build careers in a growing sector, while helping to bring the benefits of superfast broadband to Lancashire’s homes and businesses.”

While learning on the job, the apprentices are working towards a recognised qualification, a BTEC NVQ Level 3 in ICT (Information and Communications Technology).

Because the network is being installed by Openreach it is ‘open’, giving local residents and businesses a wide choice ofbroadband service providers. There are more than 140 fibre broadband providers currently operating in the UK, thereby ensuring competitive products and prices. Anyone choosing to upgrade will be able to get download speeds up to 80Mbps and upload speeds of up to 20Mpbs. Superfast Lancashire is a partnership between Lancashire County Council and BT, with additional funding from the Government’s Broadband Delivery UK, as well as the European Regional Development Fund, Blackburn with Darwen Council and Blackpool Council.