Virgin Media offers blank cheque of opportunity to attract 50 new apprentices is summer

To coincide with National Apprenticeship Week, Virgin Media is offering 150 new apprenticeships to help meet the growing demand for its superfast broadband and digital entertainment services.

With 13% of young people currently unemployed* apprenticeship schemes are being increasingly recognised as valuable career paths with Virgin Media receiving 50 applications for every place last year.

The digital entertainment company's rapidly-growing scheme saw 250 apprentice engineers graduate into jobs this January having enrolled throughout 2011 and 2012 and has seen 680 apprentices graduate from its schemes since 2008.

Virgin Media offers three levels of apprenticeships with starting salaries ranging from £11,000 to £17,000. Participants also achieve the nationally recognised NVQ in Communication Technology which offers a mix of technical and customer engagement skills with apprentices learning how to install and service Virgin Media packages.

Paul Buttery, Virgin Media's chief customer, technology and networks officer, started his own career as a telecoms apprentice. He said: Apprenticeships effectively offer enthusiastic young workers a blank cheque of opportunity. They give a superb insight into our business and are an excellent gateway to stimulating and prosperous careers.

The fact that many people like me started as apprentices in the telecommunications industry shows the importance of these schemes and just how far our apprentices can progress with their careers.

Chris Starling, head of apprenticeships for Virgin Media, said: We are thrilled to be offering apprenticeships to switched-on workers across the UK. It's a fantastic opportunity for us to invest in the future of our business as well as the communities we serve by offering people a great start to their career.

With over half of all UK homes able to access Virgin Media's cutting-edge digital entertainment services there are numerous opportunities for those ambitious enough to progress quickly within the company.

For further details and information on how to apply for an apprenticeship please visit http://careers.virginmedia.com/apprenticeship/.

Virgin Media Apprenticeships by numbers

150 new apprentices in 2013

3 levels of apprenticeships: Intermediate, Advanced and Higher

£12,000 starting salary for Intermediate apprentices

£17,000 starting salary for Advanced and Higher apprentices

680 apprentice graduates since 2008

172 apprentices currently on a programme with Virgin Media

50 applications per apprenticeship in 2012

6 areas of the UK where recruiting: North West, North East, Birmingham, London, South Coast, Reading (nb. Other locations may be recruited in)

Case studies - Recent apprentice graduates with Virgin Media:

Ryan Whitten, 23, from Birmingham, now a field access technician, said: I was training up to be a supervisor at a shop but could only have gone so far. The apprenticeship appealed as I'm out and about meeting more people, installing broadband and TiVo or solving problems. And there are good prospects of moving up through the business.

Mobosir Ali, 25, from Greater Manchester, now a field access technician on £18,500, said: The scheme gives you lots of skills: communications, working on your own, working with a team, self-management, dealing with customers and learning to explain and provide solutions to any issues.

It made me more independent and gave me targets to work towards. It's a challenge but there is always someone there to give you a hand. I'm quite practical any way. I've worked in quite a few environments and I'm not suited to sitting in an office watching a clock.

Ryan Flintoft, 23, from Gateshead, now a field access technician on £18,500, said: I've recommended the apprenticeship to all the younger lads in my community. Some of the lads are 17 and I don't think they could walk into a job where they get this much training on this wage and all this spent on them with a van and tools anywhere else.

-Ends-

For journalist enquiries contact

Press Office

t: 0207 909 2225

e: pressoffice@virginmedia.co.uk

About Virgin Media

Virgin Media is the first provider of all four broadband, TV, mobile phone and home phone services in the UK.

The company's cable network the result of a multi-billion pound private investment delivers ultrafast broadband connections to over half of all UK homes, with speeds of up to 100Mb, and is being expanded to reach thousands more people across the country.

Virgin Media has developed the most advanced interactive television service, bringing together broadcast TV, thousands of hours of on demand programming and the best of the web in a single set-top box powered by TiVo. The company was the first to offer HD TV and 3D on demand to millions of UK households.

Virgin Media also operates the most popular virtual mobile network in the UK which, when launched, was the world's first such mobile phone service. It is also one of the largest fixed-line home phone providers in the country.

Virgin Media Inc. is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market and the London Stock Exchange (VMED).

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