A national apprenticeship scheme which aims to recruit up to 300 young people is offering opportunities in Widnes.

Norbert Dentressangle plans to offer young people a range of operationally-based apprenticeships including storage and warehousing, transport and distribution and engineering, along with a number of positions in administration and supporting functions such as recruitment.

The company hopes to fill the vacancies at 40 sites across the UK by the end of April.

National Apprenticeship Week runs from March 3-7.

Norbert Dentressangle’s head of learning & Development, Chris Dolby, himself a former apprentice, said: “For Norbert Dentressangle, employing apprentices is represents a win-win situation. They earn while they learn, and we have the opportunity to mould enthusiastic youngsters into our type of person.

“Unlike many other professional service industries, where a degree is almost a prerequisite for career progression, many senior people in the logistics industry have ‘come up through the ranks’.

“As an industry, we are great at recognising and nurturing raw talent and I fully expect that some of the apprentices who join us in the next few weeks will be our senior managers of tomorrow.”

The government-backed apprenticeships scheme combines formal training with valuable hands-on workplace experience for young people.

As well as earning a wage, apprentices work towards an NVQ Level 2 qualification, while also gaining valuable experience in the world of work.

As one of the UK’s leading transport and logistics companies, Norbert Dentressangle currently employs around 14,600 people in the UK and is committed to filling 60% of vacancies through internal promotion, providing all employees with the opportunity to have a successful career with the company.

Mark Simmons, HR Director for Norbert Dentressangle Logistics UK Ltd said: “To continue to deliver the best service, we have to have the best people; the identification and development of internal talent is a key success factor for Norbert Dentressangle and a fundamental pillar of our growth strategy.

“The Apprenticeship scheme provides us with a valuable injection of ‘human capital’ and a great way to strengthen our talent pool in line with our wider development strategy.”

For further details about the scheme, e-mail apprenticeships@norbert-dentressangle.com or visit norbert-dentressangle.co.uk/Careers/Join-our-Team/Apprenticeships