Staff at BT Global Services are set to benefit from an internally developed course designed to offer business-focused, work-based higher education.
The telecoms giant has teamed up with the University of Sunderland to offer a foundation degree programme to staff working in its global services division.
The course will cover a range of skills including customer account management and financial planning.
The division’s sales engagement general manager, Kevin Gunn said: “To compete on a global level we need to take a more long-term approach to developing the talent within our organisation.”
The scheme, launched in January 2007, supports the government’s aim that 50% of adults in the workplace should have engaged in higher education by 2010.
It is targeted at employees without higher education training, but may open up to other BT divisions in the future.