KCOM staff splice up their lives with engineering

KCOM’s office staff got an invaluable insight into the world of fibre engineering today when they took part in “A Day in the life of an engineer” sessions.

Dozens of employees, who mostly spend their days working on computer screens, were shown what the award-winning broadband company’s engineers do out in the field to connect customers to its ultrafast full fibre network.

The sessions were part of a day designed to demystify how the network works and the skilled engineering that goes on behind the scenes to allow customers to surf and stream seamlessly at home or work.

Civils Team Leader Ollie Lockton, said: “It’s gone really well and judging by the smiles on people’s faces it’s been an enjoyable day for everyone.

“I think people don’t always understand the complexity of what’s involved in getting a fibre connection to people’s homes, what the process is, or what we sometimes come up against when we’re out and about. Seeing what our engineers do empowers other employees to talk more knowledgably about what that process is and ultimately keeps our customers better informed.”

As well as blowing fibre cable through a duct, the ‘engineers for a day’ also got to try their hand at the delicate art of fibre splicing, which enables customers to stream and surf at ultrafast speeds.

KCOM Employee Experience Partner Kylie Hill said the event had helped bring different teams within the business together and appreciate how they combine to create one end product for the customer.

She said: “Events like this are great because they allow people from the different parts of the business, who may never normally talk to each other in their daily jobs, to get together and make valuable contacts, bringing everyone together as one team.”

Trying her hand at fibre splicing HR assistant Sam Hoggarth said: “It was good to be able to get hands on experience of what’s involved for our engineers. It’s given me a good understanding what’s involved when you’re an engineer, which will help me when I’m talking to new employees.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for the engineers who do it in all weather, rain or shine. To be honest I’m not sure I could do it in the freezing cold!”

Fellow ‘engineer for a day’ Lawrence Wardle, who in his day job is KCOM’s Director of Regulatory Affairs, said: “I found the session really interesting. Learning how fibre cables are "blown" through "straws" and seeing how they're spliced together was brilliant.  A big thanks to the KCOM engineers!”

If you’re interested in career opportunities at KCOM visit  www.kcom.com/careers/