Last updated at 11:59, Tuesday, 21 August 2012

MORE than 500 teenagers have applied for apprenticeships at an energy firm.

PROUD: Mike Astell, Centrica Energy’s regional director for the east Irish Sea

And five lucky students have now been accepted into the programme which could eventually see them achieve chartered engineer status.

Centrica has revealed that it had more than 500 applications for its Barrow apprenticeship scheme.

Fifty of the applicants were then taken to an assessment centre and this was narrowed down to 16 who took part in final interviews.

The company is now set to make final offers to five of the successful candidates, which will take the total number of participants on the scheme to 50.

The students are all aged 16 to 18 and will begin the scheme at Furness College on September 5.

The four-year programme will start with candidates choosing which type of engineering they will specialise in: this ranges from control and instrumentation to electrical engineering or mechanical engineering.

In their first year, they will work on three qualifications: an NVQ level two in performing engineering operations, a national certificate in engineering and an IOSH certificate in health and safety.

The first year of the course will be full time, however the scheme will see the apprentices increase their amount of time in work while continuing their study at the college.

The eventual aim is for candidates to achieve their Higher National Certificate. This will see them rewarded with an £18,500 per annum salary and they can either choose to stay and work full time at the company or continue studying for an engineering degree and even chartered engineer status – sponsored by Centrica Energy.

Mike Astell, Centrica Energy’s regional director for the east Irish Sea, said: “We’re proud to be able to create new jobs and support the local economy during these challenging economic times. Our apprenticeship scheme offers a valuable balance of academic study and real, on the job experience and provides opportunities that are second to none. As we look to grow production in the coming years, this is an exciting time for the next group of apprentices to be joining us.”

First published at 11:58, Tuesday, 21 August 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk