Working in partnership across the UK & Ireland

An international business with local engagement


Our colleagues throughout the UK work to design solutions to meet the challenges and issues of their regions and local areas. Their local knowledge and networks help them connect local issues and opportunities to colleagues and assets across the business.

BT is invested in Ireland, both as an employer of more than 650 people across five cities, and as a provider of the network, infrastructure, services and skills that are integral to foreign direct investment and Ireland’s economic growth and success. We are proud to organise the annual BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, designed to raise school engagement in STEM subjects and help nurture local talent and skills for the Ireland’s workforce and leaders of tomorrow.  

The Economic Impact of BT Group plc in the UK

Our latest Economic Impact Report, prepared by independent consultancy firm Hatch, demonstrates the significant impact of BT Group in all parts of the country. Our business added £24 billion to the UK economy and supported 284,000 jobs during the last financial year. We deliver £1 in every £80 of GVA in the UK economy and one in every 90 jobs. 

We directly employ people across Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and every English region and our extensive supply chain means we’re indirectly responsible for many tens of thousands more jobs through our procurement and expenditure in local economies. Our report breaks down our impact nation-by-nation and region-by-region. 

As well as direct employment and investment, we also provide significant support to business organisations, local community organisations, sports, and the arts both through direct funding and the provision of in-kind contribution. 

Impact on national and regional economies

Across Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the English regions, we make a very significant impact on the UK’s economy. We support employment across every part of the UK through our direct workforce and indirectly, through our extensive supply chain, with our procurement and expenditure in the local economies.

West Midlands

Recruiting tech talent in Birmingham

Wales

Rural 5G opening up new possibilities for Welsh students

East of England

BT Adastral – a national centre of tech and digital excellence

Northern Ireland

Belfast – A critical component of BT’s global cyber security network

Scotland

Supporting Scotland’s green growth agenda

London

Customer Experience Centre – Showcasing the future

North East

Supporting our isolated customers – BT Group’s Care Home Companions

Our community impact

We’re putting BT at the heart of local communities

We work locally in each of the geographical areas across the UK to better understand and respond to the needs of local people and business, developing strong relationships with local authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships, key stakeholders, and business and community organisations.

We really value our local relationships.  

They allow us to focus on the success, growth and wellbeing of local people and local economies. But we do more than just employ people and pump money into the local economies. We also invest in communities, helping people make the most of the opportunities that digital technology creates.

There’s more to our business than business

  • Through our Skills for Tomorrow programme we provide support for everyone wanting to improve their digital skills. Whether you’re a parent helping a child to navigate the internet, or a small business looking to grow, we offer a range of free online resources and events to help people make the most of life in a digital world.

  • We’re deeply involved with the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, the premier STEM event for secondary school pupils across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. 

    Since its origin in 1963, the event has grown from a simple science fair to become one of the most highly regarded platforms for encouraging young people to use the foundations of science, technology, engineering and maths to inspire new ideas and new ways of thinking about the world we live in. 

    We’ve been a proud organiser and sponsor of the Exhibition since 2000.

  • Our Work Ready programme prepares 18-24 year olds for the world of work and teaches them practical skills to improve employability. It helps young people not currently in education, employment or training gain hands-on tech skills and work experience with us. 

    Over two weeks, we give young people a work placement with us that includes coaching and on-the-job experience, helping them develop the skills they need to kick-start a career in the digital workforce. And we continue to support them for six months post-programme. 

    In 2019/20, we helped 455 young people through our programme across England, 126 in Scotland, 151 in Wales, and 54 in Northern Ireland. 

    Responding to the pandemic, we took our events online, offering support to job seekers of all ages.

  • Businesses need digital skills now more than ever before. We haven’t let the lockdowns stop us from helping people brush up their digital chops: we’ve supported thousands of businesses from all parts of the UK through our website and our series of free webinars. 

    Our most popular courses include Developing a Social Media Strategy, Digital Marketing, and Moving Your Business Online, which were key topics businesses told us they needed to get on top of to help them adapt their SME business during the pandemic. Over 87% of people joining our webinars and events told us that they would be implementing some changes in the way they run their business.  

    Take a look at the full list of webinars to see what’s coming up and register for any you fancy joining. 

  • We’ve used our technology and expertise to help generate over £700m for good causes since 2012. Our employees are leading the charge, donating over £13.5m through payroll giving in the last five years, topped up by BT to over £17.5m.

    In 2020 we supported over 1,400 individual charities. We were proud recipients of the National Payroll Giving Excellence Award for Most Sustained Scheme in 2019. 

    In 2021 we announced our new partnership with Home-Start, helping us reach disadvantaged families and give our colleagues a great cause for fundraising and volunteering opportunities. Home-Start is a charity that provides expert, volunteer-based family support to some of the UK’s most vulnerable families and disadvantaged children. Across all four UK nations, it supports 27,000 families and 56,000 children via 189 local charity offices.

  • Everyone at BT can take up to three days a year off for volunteering. 

    Collectively, we support a wide range of charity and community projects including fundraising for local charities and good causes, regular food bank collections at BT buildings for The Trussell Trust, providing businesses with mentoring via Digital Boost, and supporting other digital skills initiatives such as TeenTech and Fast Futures.

News from around the nations

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England

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Scotland

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Wales

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Northern Ireland

Welsh language policy