SIX recruits to a Wisbech St Mary company will form part of a new horticultural training school being launched in the Fens.

Those lucky enough to join R Delamore Ltd could have the opportunity to progress to a management position within the company, says managing director Wayne Eady.

“We want people who are motivated to come to work and work hard to achieve the goals we set them and the ones they set themselves,” he said.

Put bluntly, he says, they can expect to join a progressive firm with a “can do” attitude and he will be looking for those not afraid of hard work and most definitely people “prepared to get out of bed in the morning”.

Delamore Young Plants begins its horticultural apprenticeship programme later this year and Mr Eady is clear that he wants to find the company’s future leaders.

Those leaders could come from among the first six apprentices who will join the firm later this year as part of an initiative supported by Fenland District Council.

Next year another six apprentices, specialising in office-based roles, such as sales and marketing, will join the company’s Station Road site before a state-of-the-art skills centre is built to help their training and development.

Mr Eady said: “After two years, we will have created more talent and experience in the business and we will want our new people to be taking further steps.

“We will need an area where they can learn the more complex areas and technical side of the business and help provide training in propagation.”

Details of the new training initiative were announced by Fenland Council Leader Alan Melton earlier this month at a business breakfast in Wisbech hosted by this newspaper.

He said the centre would be a joint venture between the council and Delamore and will provide training in propagation, research and development, marketing, packaging and finance.

Cllr Melton said the first stage of the scheme would cost �50,000, and then �75,000 in 2013.

“We shall be seeking further funding from the EU and hopefully, with the help of NE Cambs MP Steve Barclay, some residual government grant,” he said.

“This is an initiative with the public and private sector working together and my sincere thanks to R Delamore and in particular Wayne Eady for working so closely and enthusiastically with us.”

Mr Eady said the company has been “bereft of up and coming talent” for years as people moved away and into other jobs. But there was now a realisation that the industries they thought they would go into and prosper in “are in fact swamped with over-qualified people”.

Mr Eady added: “We’ve faced a reducing number of experienced staff in the business for some years and a reduced marketplace to recruit people from so we thought we’d grow it ourselves.”

HR manager Adam Parry said: “We are looking more at attitude and work ethic rather than formal qualifications at this stage.”

The rolling scheme is also open to people of all ages and backgrounds from school leavers to those older workers looking for a change in career.

Those interested in applying for the apprenticeship scheme should contact Delamore Young Plants on 01945 419100.