British Gas to Boost its Workforce with 300 New Apprentices

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British Gas will be hiring and training 300 new apprentices to boost its customer facing teams and help accelerate the drive to net zero.  

The majority of the new apprenticeships will be in engineering with training taking place at the Ofsted regulated and award-winning British Gas Academies. The new hires will be helping customers with energy efficiency advice, fixing boilers and installing net zero measures to help customers save on bills and reduce their carbon emissions. British Gas is aiming to attract more women into these roles to close the gender gap in engineering as well as people from underrepresented backgrounds.

British Gas has also launched an apprenticeship in customer service with new recruits starting on the scheme in August and September this year. The new programme will take place at the company’s UK based call centres and will provide extensive training on supporting and helping customers as part of company wide efforts to invest in customer service.

British Gas has a strong history of creating jobs and training in the UK with a commitment to hire 3,500 new apprentices to drive the energy transition by 2030. Apprenticeships provide the opportunity to earn whilst learning and create sustainable career paths. The company also provides Pathway programmes for both ex-forces, with an aim of hiring at least 500 by 2026, and for former Team GB athletes which includes the opportunity to start a new career as an apprentice.

Chris O’Shea, CEO of Centrica, parent company of British Gas, said: “Education and employment are critical to raising standards of living.  I’m proud that we are creating thousands of well paid, unionised jobs, and that we’re supporting ex-forces veterans and our amazing Team GB athletes as part of our broader arrangement with Team GB. It’s vital that we reflect the diversity of the customers and communities we support, and we’re committed to creating the workforce of the future that can deliver the UK’s net zero ambitions.

“The new customer service apprenticeship is part of our efforts to boost our customer operations. We’ve invested £50 million in customer service including hiring more UK based contact centre staff and introducing longer call centre opening times. We were recently recognised as the most improved energy supplier for customer service by USwitch - this shows our efforts are working but we continue to look at how we can improve customer service.”

Minister Fahnbulleh, at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, said: “Our Warm Homes Plan will go further and faster in upgrading Britian’s homes to protect billpayers and tackle fuel poverty. This brings with it huge potential for new jobs across the country – from helping to deliver the UK’s clean energy transition, to providing a top-class service for customers.  

“I welcome the work of British Gas in opening the door for apprentices from all backgrounds to join our fast-growing energy workforce and with a mission to provide excellent customer support.”

Andy Prendergast, National Secretary at GMB said: "This is good news. GMB has continually pushed for an increase in the number of apprentices taken on by British Gas and we are pleased to see these calls being turned into action. 

"These new apprenticeships are great opportunities for people to earn while they learn vital skills and will help ensure we have the people necessary to meet the very real working challenges presented by the move towards Net Zero."

UNISON head of business Donna Rowe-Merriman said: “The new apprenticeship scheme will strengthen training and career opportunities within the customer service area of the company. 

“It’s good to see British Gas recognising and valuing the professional skills that are essential in all roles supporting customers within the energy sector.” 

Isaura Johnson, Smart Energy engineer at British Gas, said: “I knew an apprenticeship would push me and give me new skills, and a solid trade, with the potential to get further qualifications in areas of sustainability such as EV charging or heat pump installation. If you’re thinking about going through the British Gas engineering academy, my advice would be to enjoy it. Everyone is very supportive, and the groups you come across are always happy to share their knowledge. You start to develop your skill set and learn to break down complex problems into smaller components.”

For more information and to apply visit – https://www.centrica.com/careers/apprenticeships/