Sky centre to bring jobs into region

Sky said it chose Sheffield over other locations because it has a skilled workforce and easy travel access.

Chris Stylianou, director of Sky Customer Contact Centres, added: "We're looking for people who can help us maintain our excellent standards, with new starters being given dedicated training to ensure our customers receive the best possible service.

"We look forward to recruiting a great team here in Sheffield and making a real contribution to the local community."

Sky said negotiations on a site were continuing although the exact location was being kept under wraps. Recruitment for management will begin immediately and customer advisor positions will be advertised in April.

The 500 jobs will be followed by the creation of a further 1,000 UK jobs this year.

Sky said these would be based across its six existing customer service centres in Leeds, Stockport, Shepton Mallet, Dunfermline, Livingston and Uddingston.

Sheffield Central Labour MP Paul Blomfield, said: "I'm delighted that Sky is investing in Sheffield's economy through the creation of its new customer centre and welcome the 500 new jobs it will bring to the city.

"This will be a very timely boost to the local economy."

The Sheffield centre will handle calls concerning Sky's TV, Talk and Broadband services. Once fully operational it is expected to deal with up to 9,000 customer calls per day.

Sheffield City Council leader Councillor Paul Scriven said: "At a time when Sheffield's future is dependent on private sector growth, this investment by Sky shows that the private sector has faith in the city and that Sheffield is really open for business."

Ann Allen, at development company Creativesheffield, added: "This is a great result after 18 months of hard work and collaboration."