UK internet service provider Giganet has opened a full fibre training center in Whiteley, Hampshire.
The new facility includes a completely rebuilt home installation environment as part of the company's wider strategy to educate all staff on the work being undertaken as part of its plans to bring FTTP broadband to Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and the underserved area of Sussex in the west.
Giganet has gone from strength to strength over the past year with the support of £250m funding from Fern Trading. The latest recruitment plan aims to increase the company's headcount to 200 by the end of 2022. With an upcoming apprenticeship program, Giganet will be hiring engineers over the next few years.
The training center will provide new and existing employees from all areas of the business with the opportunity to learn about the work their technicians and engineers do in the field. Using the space created by the expansion into the new offices, the building was divided into two parts. Employees will be able to learn in a replica of their work environment without any impact on the customers in the field. The facility is designed to simulate a real network in the outside world, helping non-engineering staff experience typical work scenarios - from laying cable to repairs, working on the ground or overhead, and installing booster Internet service inside a customer' home.
Creating a dedicated space to train our operations staff has been invaluable," said Giganet's CEO. Our mission is to be the best ISP in the UK, and to do that we have to be completely confident that we are providing the best service possible. The training center is vital to our apprenticeship programme and future recruitment plans, giving our staff a comprehensive understanding of the equipment we are installing and the gigabit capabilities it offers - helping every employee, regardless of department or role, to understand the business and customers better.'