Year: 2017

Local businesses Valley Foods and Bark Nouveau are the lucky winners of JT’s ‘You Juggle Enough’ Competition.

To mark the launch of the NEW JT One for Business plans, JT joined forces with the JEP to find two deserving small Local businesses and help them with their marketing communications.

The winners Valley Foods and Bark Nouveau are getting a helping hand with a range of marketing services provided by JT’s in-house marketing team, including the design of a new ad campaign which they will also then get to run for FREE in the JEP and on JT’s Jersey Insight and social channels.

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Ten brave JT Daredevils jumped out of a plane yesterday [Sunday 3 September] to raise money for JT’s chosen charity, Jersey Alzheimer’s Association.

The intrepid volunteers plunged at 130 mph for 30 seconds from 10,000 feet above St Aubin’s Bay before parachuting down to land close to the Gunsite slipway. Colleagues, family and friends came down to welcome the Daredevils back to earth and applaud their courage.

After another successful annual JT Charity Day in June, 35 staff members signed up to become JT Daredevils. Ten were selected at random (the maximum number of charitable skydives allowed in a day) to become the first JT Daredevils. The skydivers raised a fantastic £1000 for Jersey Alzheimer’s Association.

Emma Wileman, Credit Collection Manager at JT and chosen Daredevil, said: “It was absolutely incredible! It’s great that so many of us signed up to skydive from across the business, including directors, engineers and call centre staff. It’s been a talking point across the whole company, which means that everyone has been involved. That’s brought us all closer together as well as helped with the fundraising.”
JT runs several charitable initiatives throughout the year. At the beginning of 2017, staff voted for their Charity of the Year and chose Jersey Alzheimer’s Association. Staff in other locations are also supporting local Alzheimer’s-related charities.

Christophe Château, Head of Culture and Staff Engagement at JT, said: “Staff enthusiasm and engagement at JT never ceases to amaze me. After getting everyone to wear odd shoes earlier this year for our annual JT Charity Day, who would have thought we could get ten members of staff to jump out of a plane? I am so proud of my colleagues for taking the leap and raising a tremendous £1000 for Jersey Alzheimer’s Association.”

Mark Blamey, Manager of Jersey Alzheimer’s Association, said: “We can’t thank JT enough for choosing to support us this year. Performing a tandem charity skydive is certainly an impressive feat and we’re excited to see what the JT Daredevils will do next! Their efforts will help us to support local people living with dementia and their families.”

The JT Daredevils were not only skydiving to fundraise for Jersey Alzheimer’s Association but to raise awareness of World Alzheimer’s Day on Thursday 21 September. JT is now well on its’ way to achieve its £20,000 target for Alzheimer’s-related charities.

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JT is official Technology Partner for a world-class triathlon event being held in Jersey next month. 50 of the world’s leading triathletes, including 25 Olympians will compete for the Super League Triathlon crown.

50 of the world’s leading male and female triathletes, including 25 Olympians from around the world, will compete in Jersey, British Isles, for the Super League Triathlon crown on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 September.

The line-up will include the UK’s Jonny Brownlee, Mario Mola Diaz from Spain, South Africa’s Richard Murray, three-time Olympian Flora Duffy from Bermuda, and Jersey’s own Dan Halksworth. The two days of intense competition will be televised and streamed around the globe.

JT is providing technical support, mobile communications and super-fast internet access to the broadcast team and race organisers. JT has pedigree in this area: two years ago, the company was Technology Partner to the successful 2015 Island Games in Jersey, providing the technology to make the Games the most connected in its history.

Graeme Millar, Chief Executive Officer of JT, said: “A world-class event needs worldclass infrastructure, which JT is well placed to provide. Because of our investment in our mobile and fibre networks, a significant sporting roadshow like the Super League Triathlon can arrive in the Island and broadcast to millions of people with relative ease.

“The St Helier Waterfront is a perfect backdrop for this weekend of intense competition and I’m sure the whole Island will get behind it. I’m pleased that JT can play its part in showcasing Jersey to the world.”

Super League Triathlon founder Micheal D’Hulst said: “One of the reasons why Jersey is a perfect venue for this action-packed event is not only because of its striking beauty but also because of its fantastic infrastructure. From an outsider’s perspective, it’s incredible to think that such a small island can have mobile and broadband networks that put much larger jursdictions to shame. JT’s can-do attitude has been invaluable and has given us huge confidence in the Island. We’re already planning on coming back.”

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JT has been working in partnership with Start-up Guernsey and the Digital Greenhouse along with six other leading companies within Guernsey to offer the first Discover Digital student internships this summer in Guernsey.

We met Olivia Strachan, JT’s Digital Intern to find out how she’s finding the internship so far and why digital skills are so important for the future.

What made you apply for the digital internship?
The summer between GCSE’s and A Levels is fairly significant and I wanted to fill this transitional period with a unique experience; something that would allow me to gain additional skills and practice in the working world. The discover digital internship seemed the perfect opportunity, given my passion for digital and my future education and career plans.

Why JT?
I was extremely pleased to be chosen by JT. They’re an innovative technology based company, which I knew lots about given their Channel Island roots. I was already familiar with their products and style and the project I was given would build on my knowledge and also allow me to learn new skills in what is a very interesting sector.

What project are you working on and what have you done so far?
I’m now over half way through a website review project with the aim of simplifying the content and user journey to enhance the customer experience.
Once completed, I would have managed a new website restructure from start to finish which is quite exciting.
So far I have conducted a full audit of the current site and mapped out a structure. I have also redesigned all the product icons, sourced some new images and tried my hand at business and product copywriting. I’ve also attended a WordPress training course and began to build and rearrange the new site in a testing environment. I’m really looking forward to seeing the final result.

What skills have you learned that you will take forward with you into you future career?
This experience has been invaluable to me so far. Not only has it helped me learn vital digital skills, such as how to work with WordPress and sitemaps, but it has taught me important life skills such as good communication and working as part of a team. These skills will be even more necessary to my future career as they are not profession specific.

What do you think digital skills are so important in today’s world?
I think it is essential to have digital skills no matter what I do as more and more industries are going in that direction. In a decade or so it will be impossible to do any job without digital skills and this is why it is increasingly important to develop a foundation for these skills today. Technology is already an integral part of our lives and without the skills to handle it you will end up a step behind.

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National Coding Week is delighted to announce two new ambassadors for this year’s annual event: Edward Jewell, Chief Librarian for the Jersey Library and Lucy Witham, Education Development Officer for Learning Technology in Guernsey.

Last year, Jonathan Channing, founder of local firm Cobra Coding and Head of UK Events for National Coding Week, took on the role as ambassador for both Jersey and Guernsey. But with the growth and popularity of the digital education event, it was decided to appoint an ambassador in each Island who will be raising awareness of the importance of coding and responsible for the promotion of the Week’s worth of digital events.

Founded in the Channel Islands in 2014, participation at the JT sponsored National Coding Week has steadily grown and to date over 8,000 people have attended sessions held in the Channel Islands, UK, USA, Australia and beyond. The Week will feature a series of events run with different focuses including; technological advances in the digital sector, career development, an introduction to coding and educational courses aimed at various ages.

The Jersey Library was chosen as the Jersey ambassador this year in recognition of its innovative approach to digital education, wishing to be at the forefront technological advances and regarded as a hub of learning.

Edward Jewell, Chief Librarian, said: “Libraries have always sought to support learning, for us the message has always been more important than the medium. The goal is to advance knowledge, inspire lifelong learning and enrich culture. We want to use National Coding Week as an opportunity to show that the Barclays Eagle Lab digital innovations are all part of a library’s learning ethos. Whether it’s programming an animatronic dinosaur or coding a Raspberry Pi to predict tide-times, we want to connect with people who have the skills and ideas that will engage new audiences with coding and digital skills.”

Lucy Witham was chosen as the Guernsey National Coding Week Ambassador as she was pivotal in organising last year’s diary of events.

Lucy Witham, Education Development Officer for Learning Technology, said: “National Coding Week is an excellent opportunity to channel Guernsey efforts towards growing the digital skills in the Island. This year our main focus is to empower parents and grandparents to support their children’s digital development, in particular, coding. I am also hoping to create a Women in Tech group to empower women looking to get into the digital sector.”

The Digital Greenhouse will be hosting a series of Parent and Grandparent Coding ‘crash course’ sessions, sponsored by Barclays, throughout National Coding Week.

Tamara O’Brien, JT’s Head of Marketing, Brand and Distribution, said: “It is great to see National Coding Week go from strength to strength in the Channel Islands and the role of these Ambassadors is key in helping ensure islanders and businesses alike can get the most out of everything the week has to offer. We look forward to working with the Jersey Library and Lucy in Guernsey to support and champion the events. JT is keen to endorse the development of digital skills wherever it can and National Coding Week is an excellent opportunity for people of all ages to enhance their coding ability. We cannot wait to see the full line up of events for this year.”

Jonathan Channing said: “Digital is the age we live in and if we don’t teach people the foundations then we leave ourselves open to the threat of cyber attack and artificial intelligence challenging our jobs. I am so glad to have the Jersey Library and Lucy on board to support us in progressing National Coding Week.”

Find out more about the week’s events by CLICKING HERE

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The fourth annual National Coding Week (NCW), organised by Codex and sponsored by JT, will begin on 18 September and it promises to be bigger and better than ever.

Events will be held across the Channel Islands, including free “learn to code” sessions where members of the public can find out how websites are built, gain digital skills training, and attend cyber-security talks on how to keep safe online.

An online digital skills course, in association with JT, will also return. The free course was successfully launched last year and is designed for anyone who wants to learn how to write computer code.

New for 2017 is the National Coding Week Rising Star Programme. Headteachers and Principals of schools and colleges can nominate up to five Rising Stars. These will be students who have
excellent digital skills and who share their passion by helping to organise events and teach others these essential key skills.

NCW was devised in the Channel Islands but its popularity has grown. Since it was created in 2014, over 8,000 people have attended sessions in the UK, USA, Australia and beyond.
NCW founder Richard Rolfe said: “With 50 days to go, it is time for Islanders to make a note in their calendars and prepare to learn some relevant and potentially life-changing skills. NCW has grown
rapidly in the past four years and the national and international interest has been overwhelming with some big players in the technology sector getting involved, including Sky Bet, Cisco and Barclays. It
goes to show that adults, as well as children, want the opportunity to learn digital skills”.

“This year we would also like to encourage more Channel Island businesses to take part by organising talks and taster sessions at their offices or at their local library, hub or school. Please
make contact and let us know what you are planning.

“I would like to thank our sponsor JT because without their support NCW couldn’t take place. I am also grateful to partner Barclays for their Digital Eagles-supported events in Jersey and Guernsey
and to Jonathan Channing from Cobra Coding, who is spending many hours coordinating the events.

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A weekend of celebrity cricket, a quiz hosted by Chris Tarrant and a free concert in the heart of St Peter Port has raised over £20,000 for The Guernsey Lord’s Taverners -making it the most successful weekend event in the charities history.

Sponsored by JT for the seventh year, the Summer Celebrity Cricket Weekend has become a high point of Guernsey and Herm’s social calendar. A new free event organised by the JT team, was added this year: JT Celebrity Market Rocks, which attracted over 700 people to Market Square last Friday to hear some of the Island’s most popular bands.

On Saturday, a sell-out ‘big quiz’ at St Pierre Park Hotel, hosted by ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’ quizmaster Chris Tarrant, was a huge success and the next day, around 250 people sailed to Herm to watch The Herm XI narrowly beat The President’s XI in a fun but keenly fought cricket match which came down to the last ball of the match.

Cliff Parisi (Minty from Eastenders) won Player of the Team for the winners and Lorraine Chase won Player of the Team for the losers. However, former England International cricketer Andy Caddick stole the show with his big hitting and a string of sixes during his innings.

Other visiting celebrities included comedian Ian Irving, Game of Thrones actor Struan Rodger, crime fiction writer Felix Francis and Dead Ringers impressionist and comedian Jon Culshaw.

Alex Ford of The Guernsey Lord’s Taverners said: “This was our biggest and boldest Summer Celebrity Cricket Weekend yet and it was an incredible success. My thanks go to everyone who joined together to make it three days to remember, including our visiting celebrities, supporting Islanders and JT, without whom this would not have been possible. The money raised will make a real difference to young people in Guernsey.”

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Or to watch a short video of the weekend’s events click here.

JT is working in partnership with Startup Guernsey and the Digital Greenhouse along with six other leading companies within Guernsey to offer the first Discover Digital student internships this summer.

Over 40 applicants applied for the scheme, with a total of 11 students selected after interview to take part in the programme. Successful candidates include students from Ladies College, Elizabeth College, The Grammar School Sixth Form Centre and The College of Further Education. Some are still in full time secondary education whilst others are at University studying towards degrees in computer science, maths, electronic engineering and sustainable product design.

The five-week paid summer internship has been designed specifically for the island’s post-16 students at Sixth Form, CofFE or university who are passionate about the digital world and seeking to work on projects for local employers on their digital projects.

Running from 17th July until 18th August 2017, participating companies employing interns for one-week and five-week projects include KPMG, Sure, the States of Guernsey, First Central
Group, PwC, Healthspan and JT.

JT are delighted to have recently signed up to support the scheme and Tamara O’Brien, Deputy Managing Director, Guernsey at JT, said: “We are delighted to be supporting this important programme. As the only locally owned telecoms provider in the Channel Islands, we are acutely aware of the need to nurture homegrown talent in the digital sector.

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As of the 15th June, regulation means that UK providers will allow customers to use their services anywhere within the EU, at no extra cost. The Channel Islands are not part of the EU and so do not benefit from the new rates, however, thanks to the extensive work from our roaming team, we have been able to negotiate cheaper rates with our partner networks in all EU countries (and many others), allowing us to pass on savings to our customers.

As of Thursday 15 June, mobile phone users in Europe will be free to use their regular call, text and internet allowances anywhere within the EU at no extra cost under new rules which abolish data roaming charges across the union.

The Channel Islands are not part of the EU and hence do not benefit from the new rules. Since JT became aware of the EU mandate, it has been working hard to secure a pricing reduction. Across Europe, there is considerable disparity between operators about how they are servicing their customers in line with the new lower EU roaming rates and there has been confusion around compliance and the real benefits for the user. Mindful that customers needed clarity and the best deal possible, JT reached out to their international partners to discuss an arrangement for its customers.

Talking to over 150 EU-based operators that provide JT customers with roaming across the EU, JT has successfully negotiated lower agreements with each operator. Consequently, JT will offer new rates for roaming in July.

These rates will be substantially and dramatically lower than JT currently has to charge, albeit they will not be able to match exactly the EU rates.

Dominic Vye, JT’s Head of Commercial Development, said: “For some years, we have been working closely with international providers and it is a testament to these strong relationships that our customers can now use their phones like they do at home. Without these relationships, it is unlikely that we could have negotiated such a fantastic deal for our JT customers.”

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