National Broadband Network jobs drive begins in SA and NT
The National Broadband Network (NBN) is expanding its workforce by creating up to 400 jobs in South Australia and the Northern Territory.
The company has announced a $40 million national recruitment drive, which includes training, to double its installation workforce to 9,000 people.
It is hoped the recruitment drive will help connect about eight million homes to the NBN network by 2020.
The drive will target school leavers, construction workers and people with telecommunications experience.
NBN chief executive Bill Morrow said a range of skills were needed.
"To bring high speed broadband to Australians faster, our delivery partners will need a bigger pool of trained, skilled workers," he said.
"To those with telco experience, there are options to use your skills or become a teacher and coach for the next generation of workers."
He said telco copper cable jointers, telco linesworkers, cablers, technicians and electrical linesworkers were sought after.
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull told the ABC's AM program the project was "by far the most complicated infrastructure project in our history".
"The big news today is jobs. We've got 1,300 jobs in New South Wales, 900 in Western Australia, 900 in Queensland, 800 in Victoria, 400 in South Australia [and the Northern Territory], 200 in Tasmania," he said.
Mr Turnbull said the previous government "had no idea" what the project's costs were but the "new team" had created a fresh business strategy.
"We've got a new corporate plan we will be releasing shortly and I'm very confident that the new management has a handle on the costs and the strategy," Mr Turnbull said.
"Now, we do need a lot more people to ramp this business up ... we've got to get - our goal is - to get this project completed by 2020."