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 Senior Skills programme we’re helping older and digitally excluded people to make the most of life in a digital world. We don’t just want to give older people the digital skills and confidence they need: we want to help inspire and motivate them to unlock the possibilities of being online.

    With more and more everyday activities moving online, we’re working with UK charity AbilityNet, to deliver over 1,000 group and one-to-one digital skills sessions to help older and digitally excluded people across the UK.

  • 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 is designed to excite and inspire 16-24 year olds around careers in digital, data and technology, providing insight into career paths and practical employability support.

    For learners still in school we have designed our one-day intervention to support both Gatsby benchmarks and the Government’s Skills and Post-16 Education Act to build links between curriculum learning, young peoples’ natural abilities and the skills employers look for. This academic year we’ll be supporting over 2,000 students in seven areas near our workplaces across the UK.

    We’re also funding 500 places on FastFutures data bootcamps for 18-24 year olds. The part-time, online courses are totally free and will help learners develop in-demand digital and data skills, regardless of background and qualifications. They’ll also benefit from career guidance and one to one mentoring from a BT Group colleague to put them in the best position to launch their career. 

    Check out our Smarter Job Seeking videos to see how we help people get work ready. 

  • Businesses need digital skills now more than ever before and BT continues to provide support to thousands of businesses each month throughout the UK with over 1 million businesses helped over the last 3 years.

    Providing skills, support and learning businesses need to grow through free mentoring, webinars, online courses and events. Our program helps businesses develop a wide range of skills from business strategy, digital advertising to ensure businesses continue to grow, the Skills for Tomorrow page has a wealth of information to help.

    Discover our wide range of upcoming programs to develop your business skills with local netwalks, webinars and help take your business take the next step.

  • 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 partnered with Home-Start to support families with young children facing isolation, bereavement, illness, and financial insecurity and more. Our partnership offers fundraising and volunteering opportunities for our colleagues. Home-Start volunteers support parents and children in their own home and in communities right across the UK. Across all four UK nations, Home-Start supports 38,000 families and 65,000 children via 179 local Home-Starts. 

  • Everyone at BT can take up to three days' volunteering leave a year. 

    Collectively, we support a wide range of charity and community projects including; fundraising for local charities and good causes, providing businesses with mentoring via Digital Boost, helping older and digitally excluded people to learn essential digital skills and supporting other digital skills initiatives such as 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