Category: Guernsey

After an impressive six-week internship, Elizabeth College student, Kieran Aslett, has been awarded a bursary by his JT mentors. This helping hand towards his study costs is in recognition of his genuine interest in digital technology and the bright future that lies ahead of him.

Kieran joined JT having applied successfully for the Digital Greenhouse Discover Digital Summer Internship which JT has supported for the past three years. He spent six weeks working with a number of the company’s departments.

Andy Holmes, JT’s Talent Program Manager said: “As a business we believe it is really important for us to play a part in nurturing young talent. Committed and interested young people like Kieran represent the future of digital technology and we are privileged to have had the opportunity to share our knowledge with him and are really pleased that we can contribute to resources which will help him take those first steps in his career.”

JT offers several bursaries each year to young people in the Channel Islands in areas of study including science, technology, engineering, maths and some business disciplines and over the last five years has financially supported 32 young people across Guernsey and Jersey.  During the summer months of 2019, 15 bursary students have benefitted from fully paid work within various departments across the company and, to date, four students have returned to work with JT on a permanent basis. 40% of our local students supported by our JT’s bursaries over the past 5 years have returned to the islands to live and work in the technology sector.

Kieran said that the internship gave him a good insight into the collaborative working between departments. “It was surprising to me how much interaction there was between departments like sales and engineering. The reality is that they share information all the time to come to a solution together, looking at design and analysing the information before tackling an issue.”

Kieran, who has plans to study cyber security in higher education, said that he had an interest in networking and so particularly enjoyed working with CISCO engineering while at JT but had found the mentoring in all the teams especially beneficial.

“It was never just about me sitting and watching what was going on, that’s not the JT way. The mentoring was fantastic, and I was given the chance to do real work, take part and ask questions. It was an exciting opportunity and worked very naturally. The bursary announcement came as a complete surprise on my second to last day – I hadn’t expected that at all but it’s great news, it’s so nice to know that the team at JT value my contribution” said Kieran.

Paul Taylor, Managing Director, JT Guernsey said: “Kieran worked really well with each team he joined during his internship, it was a pleasure to introduce him to our industry. We hope that the JT Bursary will ensure that he is able to make the most out of what a university degree has to offer him and, one day, bring those skills back to Guernsey and JT.”

The Discover Digital Summer Internship is open to all post-16 students, in full-time education, who have a passion for digital and a desire to work on digital projects with some of the Guernsey’s leading companies.

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NOTES TO EDITORS

The JT Bursary scheme provides local students a £2000 financial grant towards the cost of university fees and expenses as well as offering a challenging six weeks of fully paid work experience during holiday periods.

University subjects considered for a JT bursary are generally science, technology, engineering and maths.

Applications can be made online from January each year through the JT website or contact hrinbox@jtglobal.com for further information.

Jersey’s full-fibre network has earned the Island a place on the shortlist of the 21st annual World Communication Awards.

The successful completion of JT’s Gigabit Jersey project has been shortlisted in both the ‘Best Network Transformation Initiative’ and the ‘Broadband Pioneer’ categories of the distinguished awards, which will be presented at a ceremony in London at the end of October. The shortlisting sees JT joins some of the biggest names in the telecoms industry across the world – including BT, TalkTalk and O2. This in itself is a significant tribute to the talented and diverse team at JT that have worked to deliver this project from the beginning.

The shortlisting recognises the commitment made by JT’s teams to the island to deliver a reliable, high speed full-fibre network which would benefit the entire community. It has already paved the way for new business start-ups, contributed to the growth of Jersey’s digital sector and supported expansion of the finance industry, as well as opened the door to new ways of learning in our schools and enabled householders to embrace smart technology in their homes.

Graeme Millar, JT’s CEO, said: “A year on from the completion of this landmark project we can begin to assess the longer-term benefit that full-fibre is having for Jersey. Many of the advantages of a full-fibre network are now a reality. The network has had a truly transformative effect on Jersey’s position as a world leader in connectivity and innovation.

“The success of Jersey’s full-fibre network is down to the hard work and dedication of all those who worked on the project over the years. Together, we have created a legacy for Jersey and contributed to the current and future success of our Island economy and generations to come, which we’re all very proud of.”

Amy Bryant, Deputy CEO, Jersey Finance said: “Jersey’s ability to harness technological innovations lies not just in its community of skilled professionals but also in its world class infrastructure and digital capability. Advances in the internet of things (IoT), blockchain, fintech, cryptocurrencies and artificial intelligence depend on a fast and reliable connection and JT’s full-fibre network has provided that backbone to take them forward.”

Over 550 telecom companies, representing over 35 countries, are taking part in World Communications Awards 2019 and the winners of the 25 award categories will be announced at a ceremony in the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms, London, on 30 October 2019.

The gatekeeper of a programme to put JT’s customers at the heart of every conversation has been shortlisted for her leadership at the International Customer Service Awards.

Tamara O Brien, JT’s Group Head of Customer Experience, has been named as one of the six finalists in the Customer Experience Leader category of the awards, which will be announced at a ceremony in Amsterdam on 21 November 2019.

Tamara led a campaign across all of JT’s offices to reshape the customer experience for JT customers and support that experience with pioneering digital technology like the exclusive JT App. This instigated a company-wide training initiative, based around JT’s own customer feedback and insight – so that every one of JT’s people understood the value of real customer loyalty and satisfaction and became ambassadors for a brand they believed in.

“Over the last few years, JT has been on a journey to transform itself from a local telecoms provider to a world class communications brand.  Our purpose is to connect our islands and our customers to their future, and it is crucial for us to bring our people and our customers with us.

On a personal level, I am honoured to have been named as a finalist however it’s the hard work and commitment of all our teams, across the company, that has got us here. We empowered our people to believe in themselves and show them the vital role each one plays in supporting our customers. Our goal was to shift our culture in every area of the business so that the first question on everyone’s mind, no matter what their job, was and remains, ‘how will our customers feel about this’. On a simple level my role is to represent the voice of our customers across everything we do; be it a new live chat app to make life easier for customers to get help, a new roaming service designed to give customers more freedom when travelling, or creation of our customer panel ‘JT Voice’ giving our own customers input to how we provide our services and products.”

Tamara was instrumental in the development and delivery to JT’s 600+ employees of the company’s first customer experience strategy. She built and inspired a dedicated, specially-trained Central Customer Experience team which understands both customer behaviour and the importance community engagement plays in JT’s culture. Customer experience training is now an essential part of every employee’s induction, probation and remuneration and is supported at all levels of the business.

Now in its second year, the International Customer Experience Awards recognise inspiring organisations which are delivering an outstanding customer experience across the world.

The following statement has been released on behalf of JT:

“JT announced today that it has launched a 5G test site in Jersey and a 5G test site in Guernsey, following receipt of a licence to do so from CICRA in March 2019 and in line with a commitment announced in November 2018. The test will provide important technical and planning information to support JT’s forthcoming applications for a licence to extend its leading 2G/3G/4G networks towards 5G, once the process for doing so is announced by CICRA.”

More information about the 5G network for JT customers >

JT’s My Account app is in the running for one of this year’s top digital awards, having shortlisted in the Best App category in the UK Digital Experience Awards 2019 (UKDXA).

Judged by a panel of independent international business professionals, against a strict criteria endorsed by Cranfield School of Management, the awards recognise how leading-edge technology and solutions can improve customer’s experience.

The ‘JT My Account’ free app was built locally in-house, by JT’s team of software developers following customer insight gained from focus groups and from JT’s customer insight panel. From this JT identified an opportunity and demand for a unique app which would provide JT customers with a way of managing their services and viewing their bills on mobile devices giving them the freedom and flexibility to monitor, track and control their usage on the go, when and where they needed to.

The aim is to take complex billing information, including a large range of pricing packages in a simple and easy-to-use way – designed and built in a highly scalable and responsive way to ensure customers can use it securely.

The app, which is the only one of its kind in the Channel Islands, allows JT customers to personalise their accounts, set up a roaming ‘bolt on,’ and even create data usage alerts to give them access to real-time information.  The ability to tailor services, add value options and stay in control means JT’s customers are aware of usage and if needed can change services to suit their situation wherever they are. The free app has been downloaded over 40,000 times with over 55% of JT customers now using it daily. Since its launch in 2015 the design and functionality has grown significantly, thanks to customer feedback and new technology it now includes a ‘live chat’ facility which lets customers interact directly with the JT team to resolve queries faster than ever before and even log faults.

Dominic Vye, Head of Commercial Development, Customer Management and Digital Services at JT commented: “The team and I are so pleased to have our app shortlisted for this prestigious award, putting us side by side with many leading tech companies across the UK. Since the deployment of high-speed networks, mobile and internet usage has massively increased, and customers want a quick, easy and reliable way to manage their services. This shortlist is testament to great teamwork between our customers and our development team and encourages us to continue to invest in similar services as part of JT’s ‘digital first’ policy of tech innovation. With a single aim of helping our customers access JT’s products in the easiest way, when where and how they want to.”

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Notes to editors

For more information please contact Anna Thorne at Direct Input on 01534 735253 or at anna@directinput.je

Caritas Jersey has recognised JT’s commitment as a living wage employer with the presentation of a plaque at the company’s Forum headquarters.

JT is Jersey’s first large-scale commercial organisation to become a Living Wage Employer, ensuring that all its employees in the Channel Islands and around the globe are paid a fair wage for their work.

In Jersey JT employs over 400 people, and over 600 worldwide. The company’s pledge to provide access to a fair wage across its jurisdictions has been welcomed by Caritas Executive Director John Scally. “JT has set a great example as a large organisation which fully understands the value of its employees and is committed to working with the community to help eradicate poverty in Jersey. The living wage is a two-way street, supporting the community and supporting better business practice. Having valued and respected employees mean that businesses benefit from lower absenteeism, lower turnover and better service from their teams,” said Mr Scally.

The government’s minimum wage rate is separate to the living wage which is an hourly rate calculated by the Living Wage Foundation to cover the basic essentials of living, like housing, food and transport and the aim of the Caritas campaign is to raise people out of poverty by working with local employers.

JT Group HR Director, Nicola Reeves, said: “JT prides itself on being a responsible employer, we have supported Caritas since the Living Wage was formed and this recognition is our step to ensuring that people who live and work in Jersey have access to a wage which covers their basic needs, starting with our own people. We really hope that other Jersey employers across all industries recognise the worth of this campaign and more importantly the value and welfare of their employees which in turn will benefit our community as a whole.”

Today, over 2,500 employers throughout the UK and the Channel Islands display the Living Wage Employers Mark. In April 2019 Caritas announced a living wage rate for Jersey of £10.55.

Companies wanting to know more about becoming a living wage employer can find out more on the Caritas Jersey Living Wage Project website.

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Notes to editors

For more information please contact Anna Thorne at Direct Input on 01534 735253 or at anna@directinput.je