Caterpillar, designer and manufacturer of articulated dump trucks for worldwide mining and construction industries, is bracing itself for an expected one thousand applicants responding to its call for apprentices in time for next Monday's deadline
Based in Peterlee, County Durham, Caterpillar put out a similar call last year, tasking East Durham Business Service (EDBS) with finding just ten apprentices out of the more than five hundred hopeful people who applied.
This year, EDBS has again been contracted to shortlist thirty candidates, enabling Caterpillar bosses to handpick the twelve most suitable to fill apprenticeship vacancies in fabrication and welding, toolmaking, painting, maintenance and auto-electrical.
Caterpillar's Human Resources Manager, Chris Fairs, says EDBS had been key to finding the best candidates last year, adding: "It’s important to invest in young talent and we are using our success to do so.”
EDBS chief executive Peter Chapman says: “It is an unmissable opportunity to work for a brilliant company and I know we will have a tough process on our hands considering the level of excellent candidates we had last year.
“We have an excellent track record in sourcing apprentices for businesses throughout the North-East. We are delighted to be working alongside Caterpillar and I would like to take this opportunity to wish every applicant the best of luck.”
Caterpillar Apprentices Manager Fred Felton says: “We have 35 apprentices in our 1,300 workforce and are looking forward to recruiting another 12 from the North-East.”
The deadline for applications - via www.apprenticeships.org.uk - is Monday June 4th, and interviews will start a week later on Monday June 11th.
The thirty shortlisted applicants will all attend a prescribed assessment day in July, with the successful twelve apprentices starting with Caterpillar at the end of August.
