A growing family firm is using the power of new media to encourage would-be staff to think about careers in the agricultural machinery sector.

Thurlow Nunn Standen has announced a new wave of apprenticeships as it revealed that a commitment to the next generation was paying dividends and helping to underpin the success of the company.

The firm, based in Littleport, operates from six branches throughout Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, employing more than 500 staff.

Group turnover is £140m and it holds franchises for Massey Ferguson, Challenger, Fendt, Kverneland and Kubota, as well as other key brands, while its specialist installations division, which plans and designs agricultural buildings and manages building contracts, is based near Bury St Edmunds.

It offers apprenticeships in engineering, but said it was now looking to broaden that into other areas.

As part of the recruitment drive it has produced a video where four staff detail what it is like to work for the firm and the training opportunities available.

James Thurlow, managing director, said: “We chose to produce an ‘in-house’ video to increase the impact of our career development drive. The agricultural machinery sector has struggled to attract new candidates in recent years and we hope our new direction will show that the agriculture machinery is one area people can develop a long term career in agriculture. We pride ourselves in having awarded over 100, 25 year awards and plan to add to this over the coming years. Good employees are the backbone to our business, so we see apprenticeships as an investment in our future.”

Sally Tew, personnel director, said: “To help meet our high expectations of customer service we invest in excess of £50,000 per annum in the training and development of the dedicated team that work at TNS.

“In association with our manufacturers, we offer regular manufacturer training, management training and in-house training programmes and to support our succession planning we regularly recruit trainees and apprentices.”