Birkenhead's Cammell Laird ship repair yard is looking to expand its popular apprenticeship programme as it takes on more work.
The scheme is already massively oversubscribed, with around 850 candidates applying for the 46 places available this year. However it is intending to increase the number of available places to 100.
The Birkenhead yard is currently operating at full capacity, having taken on repairs to the Fred Olsen cruise liner Borealis, which is in one of the yard's four giant dry docks to have its hull repainted before the ship returns to service later this month from Liverpool cruise terminal.
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It has also done a refit of two former British naval vessels which have been sold on to the Egyptian navy, along with commercial work for companies including the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company.
Cammell Laird managing director Mike Hill, who himself rose through the ranks after being taken on as a 16-year-old apprentice in 1996, said: "It's not uncommon for members of the management team to have come through the apprenticeship scheme.
"We took on 46 new apprentices this year, out of 850 who applied, but our intention is to get to 100 new recruits every year. It's vital we keep winning commercial and government contracts to keep this facility alive and kicking, and to deliver the next generation of our workforce as well."
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