Career development

As well as 21 million customers, BT Retail has another extraordinarily valuable asset - it's people. As a service business, it is the capability and contribution of our people that will make the difference, and ensure our success.

In BT Retail therefore, we are committed to investing in and developing our people. Each business unit has it's own People Investment Plan and the Quality Plan and Budget for BT Retail in 2000/01 set aside £36m for training and development.

Each business unit has its own training and development priorities. These co-exist with a number of overriding learning and development principles which span BT Retail. These are:

• Commitment for Commitment – our people should have the will to learn and to adapt to change. In return, we will support people to develop and maximise their potential in line with the needs of the business.
• Sharing Knowledge – we will freely communicate information about our business strategy and plans, so that everyone in BT Retail knows what is expected of them now and in the future.
• Planning – everyone in BT Retail should have a personal development plan, discussed and agreed with their manager, to address gaps in their knowledge, skills and personal capabilities.
• Review - everyone will have a performance and development dialogue with their manager, at least quarterly. Performance and potential will be reviewed formally annually.
• Identifying Talent – we will manage processes aimed at identifying high potential at all levels of the organisation. We will help talented people to maximise their potential through offering development opportunities and experiences which grow individual capability.
• Re-skilling – we will encourage and support our people in work areas where skillsets are declining and/or rapidly changing, to re-skill.
• Lifelong Learning – to optimise performance and employability, BT Retail supports and promotes the concept of self-managed lifelong learning.
• eLearning Methods – to maximise the return on our development investment, to bring learning closer to the workplace, and to build confidence with new wave technologies, we will employ eLearning methodologies wherever practicable.
• "New Wave" Mindset - we will prioritise our development spend to encourage eBusiness and IP technologies. Benchmarking - we will demonstrate our commitment to learning and development through sustaining our Investor in People accreditation.

Personal and professional development is available throughout your career. Your personal action plan will be specially tailored to help you do your job today and to progress your career tomorrow. In addition to having regular feedback time set aside with your manager, there are coaching, networking, mentoring, knowledge sharing and 'buddy' programmes to give you the help and support you need.

This approach has earned us accreditation as an Investor In People.   

Development Action Plan

We see your personal and career development as a continuous process of increasing your knowledge and gaining new skills.

In addition to the skills you will naturally gain in your job, our individually-tailored Development Action Plans provide opportunities that will stretch you personally and professionally, preparing you for the next steps in your career.

Your progress, performance and development will be carefully monitored, and there will also be scope for your plan to be updated as your needs and interests change.

You'll also be encouraged to work with a mentor outside your usual sphere of activity who can help you take advantage of development opportunities.

Career prospects

We encourage everyone to make the most of the extensive opportunities a company of our size can offer. Moving within BT is an established means of career progression; and a large percentage of opportunities are advertised internally.

Route 2 Learn

Route 2 Learn is our own online e-learning portal. This extensive learning resource provides all our employees with access to online and offline training programmes for their own personal, technical and professional development.

Professional bodies

We encourage all our people to work towards membership of professional bodies governing their specialism or work area. We run a number of accredited company schemes including:

• The Institute of Electrical Engineers

• The British Computer Society, who recently awarded us its Information Systems Quality at Work award

We are also a Quality Partner of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.