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Broadband infrastructure provider Openreach has announced plans to hire about 400 trainee engineers across Scotland over the next year.

The roles will be based in the Highlands and Islands, Edinburgh, Aberdeenshire, Argyll and Bute, Perth and Kinross and Dumfries and Galloway.

Openreach said they would join telecoms engineers working to expand, upgrade, maintain and install broadband.

Its Fibre First programme promises to expand networks across the UK.

The firm has also committed to making fibre available in three million British homes and businesses by the end of 2020.

Edinburgh is among eight cities in the UK which will begin the roll-out.

'Vital role'

Openreach chief executive Clive Selley said: "These trainee engineers will be playing a vital role in the future success and prosperity of Scotland.

"Over the last year, our 3,000 Scottish engineers have been the driving force behind making "superfast" broadband available to more than 93% of the country, whilst also improving our customer service performance - but we want to do more."

Scotland's Connectivity Secretary Fergus Ewing welcomed the news.

He said: "It's particularly encouraging to see that these engineers will be based across the country, with that influx of new jobs and skilled employees set to benefit some of Scotland's more rural areas."