New skills course helping Bolton jobseekers

Training area at Bolton

Jobseekers in Bolton are the first to benefit from a free five-day course in roadworks, signing, lighting, and guarding - launched by Openreach in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The course is part of Openreach’s commitment to economic equality, job creation, and skills development through the nationwide Project Gigabit broadband scheme. This is bringing full fibre connectivity to thousands of homes and businesses across the UK.

Run in collaboration with DWP, the training program provides practical, hands-on learning and industry-recognised accreditations to help participants enter the workforce.

While mainly classroom-based, it focuses on real-world street works - an important sector, which is essential to building and maintaining the UK’s infrastructure.

Openreach’s Director of Learning and Development, Anna Phipps, said: "We believe in creating real opportunities for people to develop new skills and improve their employability. This initiative gives jobseekers the qualifications they need to step into careers in roadworks, construction, and utilities—sectors that are vital to keeping the country connected."

The first training session took place at Openreach’s Bolton Training School, with plans to expand the initiative if successful. Already, it’s hoped future courses will take place in Exeter, Livingston (Scotland) and Newport (Wales), with delegates invited to take part by their local DWP team.

Ian Ogden, Employer Lead for the DWP in Greater Manchester, added: "We’re committed to working with employers to provide jobseekers with real, practical opportunities. This course equips people with industry knowledge, valuable certifications, and the confidence to move towards a future career in infrastructure and utilities."

Project Gigabit is a UK government initiative delivering fast, reliable broadband to hard-to-reach areas.

Openreach is working in partnership with Government to upgrade broadband infrastructure in a number of rural areas.

These include Lancashire, North Wiltshire, South Gloucestershire, West and Mid Surrey, Staffordshire, West Berkshire, Hertfordshire, and Worcestershire, as well as parts of Devon, Somerset, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Wales, Essex, and North-East England.

This network build will bring full-fibre broadband – the UK’s most reliable broadband technology - to more than 220,000 homes and businesses in some of the most difficult to reach areas.

It will improve connectivity, reliability, and access to essential online services, in places too expensive for providers to reach through their commercial build programmes and which would otherwise be left behind with poor digital infrastructure.

Openreach’s own commercial full-fibre network already reaches more than 17 million properties, with plans to expand to 25 million by 2026 - and potentially 30 million by 2030 with the right investment conditions.