UK telecoms company BT is to recruit 900 people to work in its security business as part of a major drive to protect consumers, businesses and governments from the growing threat of cyber crime.
The company expects to take on and train 170 graduates and apprentices, as part of its recruitment intake in the next 12 months.
People will work in a range of cyber security and related support service roles.
"A number of high-profile security and data breaches have dominated the headlines in recent months, and this has led to a surge in interest from both consumers and IT departments wanting to know how best they can protect themselves in the digital world," the company said.
Graduates and apprentices will undergo training in BT's security academy in areas including physical security, threat intelligence, risk management, security operations and sales.
As well as hiring from leading universities, BT takes part in a number of hackathon-style "war-game" competitions to identify the best talent.
Contestants take part in simulations of cyber attacks, pitting their skills against other participants, to see who have the strongest cyber security skills.
Most of the jobs will be in the UK. BT is also looking to hire security specialists across Continental Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.
