Â鶹ԼÅÄ

More than 220 trainee engineers will be hired across Scotland as part of a drive to improve fibre broadband connections.

The Openreach jobs will be in locations throughout the country working to expand and upgrade the firm's network.

It includes 48 posts for the Glasgow area, 38 for Edinburgh and the Lothians and 34 for Aberdeen city and shire.

There will also be new posts in Dumfries and Galloway, Stirling, Ayrshire and Perth and Kinross.

Across the UK, more than 3,000 trainee engineers are being recruited.

It highlights the continued growth of the company, which last March announced plans to hire 400 trainee engineers across Scotland.

Clive Selley, chief executive of Openreach, said: "We're making great progress towards reaching our target of upgrading three million homes and businesses to full fibre by the end of 2020 - reaching another 13,000 premises per week - and these new recruits in Scotland will play a crucial role in that programme

"Openreach is a people business and our new apprentices will enable us to fulfil our commitments, with an ultimate ambition to deliver the best possible connectivity to everyone, everywhere, equally, across the entire country."

Around half will be helping to deliver the company's Fibre First programme to introduce faster technology.