PRUDHOE’S biggest employer, toilet roll manufacturer Essity, has taken on 14 new recruits as part of its apprenticeship scheme.

Essity, formerly SCA Hygiene, manufactures the popular Velvet brand of family toilet tissue.

The company has been running its award-winning apprenticeship programme since 2004 to grow its own talent and tackle the current skills shortage in the manufacturing and engineering sectors.

The company has now taken on 10 process and four technical apprentices aged between 16 and 26, which boosts the total number of younger employees currently in paid education and training with the tissue giant to 36.

Training officer at Essity Ian Callender said: “Apprenticeships provide us with an effective succession plan that ensures we continue to recruit the right people with the right skills to fit in place across all areas of the business.

“Our apprenticeships cover operational, technical and business support functions. They continue to play a vital role in helping to safeguard the future of the Mill, grow the business, increase productivity and efficiency and reduce operating costs.”

The process apprenticeship, to achieve an NVQ Level 2 diploma in engineering, is two years and the technical apprenticeship is a five-year programme to gain an HNC in manufacturing engineering.

Matthew Burn (26) from Prudhoe is a process apprentice. He successfully applied to the programme after becoming disillusioned working as a store man for another engineering firm.

“I always wanted to get into engineering and was looking for a career opportunity with real prospects,” he said.

“Essity appealed to me because I have several family members who worked here. I knew it was a good company and its apprentice scheme is one of the best in the region.”

The Essity apprenticeship programme is aligned to the Advanced Modern Apprenticeship framework and designed to develop individuals to take on a full-time position.