Fujitsu Telecommunications

Source: Manufacturing Digital

Date :11/04/2008 15:29:29

A driving force behind the creation of ‘Broadband Britain,’ Exec takes a closer look at how Fujitsu Telecommunications Europe Limited’s overseas recruitment policy has attracted the attention of the Government

Written by David Watts and Produced by Ben Weaver

Fujitsu Telecommunications Europe Limited (FTEL) is the leading provider of broadband solutions in the UK. Part of the Japanese technology giant Fujitsu Group, Birmingham-based FTEL also designs, develops and manufactures telecommunications technology for the European market, priding itself on a philosophy of developing ‘leading edge, high reliability, high performance information technology and communications solutions.’

The domestic rise in broadband usage has been instrumental in FTEL’s success – it now accounts for over five million lines of DSL broadband in the UK and resulted in the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation 2005 – but it is the company’s international focus that has seen it receive some attention from the world of politics in recent months.

Work permits

In February, the Government announced an overhaul of the migration system that will see the previous array of more than 80 work permits and entry schemes replaced by a single points-based system (PBS). The new method is thought to be modelled on a similar scheme in place in Australia, considered by many as one of the most straightforward and efficient in the world.

Working with five tiers of entry (highly skilled, skilled with job offer, low skilled, students and temporary workers), the new plans will see potential migrants placed in a band based on their number of skills – simply, the higher the level of skills, the more likely that admittance will be granted.

FTEL, like many other businesses, has been keen to support the changes. Many think that the new streamlined process will help companies fill skills gaps more speedily and maintain competitive advantage. There’s also an extension of initial duration from two to three years for highly skilled workers, which both the Government and industry are hoping will translate into a significant business benefit, enabling firms to attract and retain skills and knowledge within their companies.

The PBS is also introducing a new licencing system for employers recruiting from overseas to bring in skilled workers, and who subsequently want to extend their stay in the UK. With eight percent of FTEL’s total workforce drawn from overseas, it is understandable that the company has been keen to back the proposals, and as a result another part of the Fujitsu Group, Fujitsu Services, has joined with the Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) as its chosen technology partner for the delivery of PBS.

Global talent pool

The company has worked closely with BIA, developing the Sponsor Registration application, providing the underpinning infrastructure and will support PBS under Fujitsu Services’ existing Managed Service agreement with the Home Office.

This link was taken even further when, in February, Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith met FTEL’s CEO Andy Stevenson and COO Tony Oppenheim at its UK headquarters, meeting with a number of employees from Fujitsu’s migrant workforce from India, China and Japan.

“Our ability to draw from a global talent pool has been a major contributor to our growth, innovation and productivity,” said Stevenson at the event. “By attracting highly skilled people from every continent, we have increased our knowledge base extensively, and most certainly improved our competitiveness in an extremely fast paced business environment.”

A 21st century network

This rapid pace is perhaps best embodied by BT’s 21st Century Network (21CN) programme, which will see the UK incumbent’s telephone network move from its present AXE/System X Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to an Internet Protocol (IP) system. The switchover, which BT plans to have 50 percent complete by the end of the year, will enable the company to deliver additional interactive services such as IPTV.

FTEL has been selected to play a key role in 21CN, the largest project of its type ever undertaken, alongside seven other firms including Siemens and Ericsson. In total, the switchover is expected to cost BT £10 billion over the next ten years, and is the latest example of the company’s development of next-generation networks. And if FTEL is to continue working at the forefront of a field that is as both swiftly changing and technologically demanding as the delivery of broadband solutions, this ‘global pool of talent’ will give the company every chance to acquire that knowledge and flexibility required to remain competitive at the highest level.

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