ENGINEERING apprenticeship opportunities are opening for young people in Fenland with the news that a food and drink group is creating 18 new roles in the next three years.

Princes, which employs 470 people at its food manufacturing site in Lynn Road, Wisbech, is creating 18 new roles for engineering apprentices starting this year.

The £2bn turnover business is working alongside local schools and colleges, to recruit six young people this year.

Young people have until June 28 to apply.

A further 12 will be recruited for 2014 and 2015.

Each apprentice will receive on and off the job training to work towards an NVQ level 3 qualification at one of Princes UK food production sites.

The move follows strong growth for Princes, which now employs more than 6,000 people globally.

The business is the UK’s largest supplier of canned food and the third largest supplier of soft drinks.

Ruth Simpson, Corporate Relations Director at Princes, said: “We are committed to investing in the skills of our employees so they can grow alongside our business.

“Apprenticeships represent a great opportunity for people to learn a new trade while giving businesses like ours an opportunity to share and transfer key skills.

“As our group continues to grow, we expect to create more new career opportunities like these.”

The new apprenticeships follow the introduction by Princes of a range of new training schemes and roles at the end of 2012 including the launch of a paid internship scheme and the extension of the company’s ongoing graduate training scheme.

Applications for Princes’ new apprenticeships close on June 28.

For more information on these or other positions, visit www.princesgroup.com