Openreach - BT's access services division - has launched a major recruitment drive to tempt more women to become phone engineers.

According to correspondence published recently by regulator Ofcom, BT has a shortfall of several hundred engineers needed to carry out essential work.

As part of the scheme BT wants to alter the "currently perceived male dominated environment synonymous with engineering to make the role more attractive to women". It is also looking at increasing flexible working practices such as job sharing and introducing child-friendly hours and other "work/life balance measures".

"Research shows that there is a huge business case for gender diversity - more women in the workforce can contribute to increased levels of innovation, creativity and productivity," Openreach exec Andrew Jones said.

"Openreach's primary role is to serve communications providers' customers to the best of our ability, and a more representative workforce will allow us to do that." ®

Related stories

• BT promises to improve local loop services for rivals (27 October 2006)
• Women want to experiment in boardrooms (16 September 2006)
• Women love gadgets, survey shows (2 August 2006)
• BT's new wave buoys up profits (27 July 2006)
• Men to lose battle with robots (6 July 2006)
• Spiders attack Manchester phone network (17 June 2006)
• BT creates 1,300 new jobs (24 May 2006)
• BT exchange reopens after asbestos scare (4 May 2006)
• BT silent on 'green goo' results (5 April 2006)
• 'Mysterious green goo' discovery halts phone repair (4 April 2006)