Dorset Council is planning a pilot programme to train fibre engineers to improve the county’s broadband provision.
It has flagged up the plan, which is backed by £20,000 from the Local Government Association’s Digital Pathfinders Fund and aimed at overcoming a local shortage of fibre engineers.
The council said it is planning to form a consortium of stakeholders from the private, public and voluntary sectors to develop the plans and attract further investment.
Councillor Jill Haynes, Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for corporate development and transformation, said: “In Dorset 97% of premises now have access to superfast broadband but the future is gigabit-capable, and for that we are far behind the rest of the country.
“A huge factor affecting this is the national shortage of fibre engineers and in Dorset we want to take matters into our own hands and train people locally to fulfil these essential roles.
“Having enough fibre engineers in Dorset will help broadband suppliers access the expertise needed and roll out full fibre to more of our premises in the county.”
Nationally 63% of premises now have gigabit capable broadband, whereas in Dorset the figure is just 15%, the council said.
Image: Councillor Jill Haynes and Rachel Howarth and Catriona Fountain from the council’s Digital Place team. From Dorset Council
