Staffordshire-based JCB (www.jcb.com) is to recruit 168 apprentices and graduates as the company increases investment in its Young Talent programme to record levels.

This year, the company is ploughing £7.5 million into recruiting young people into the business to help meet future growth — triple the amount invested in the scheme when it started four years ago.

Of the 168 people who are joining JCB, a total of 117 are apprentices — the biggest-ever single intake of apprentices in the company’s 71-year history.

A number will be higher apprentices who will go on to take degrees, ‘learning while they earn’ and avoiding the need to incur costly student loans.

This latest development brings the amount the company has invested in its Young Talent programme over the past four years to £20 million; to date, the initiative has seen around 550 graduates and engineers join the business.

The news comes as JCB prepares to open up applications for its 2018 programme on 2 October.

JCB Chairman Lord Bamford, who started his career as an engineering apprentice in 1962 before joining JCB in 1964, said: “Young people are the future of our company and investing in young talent is vital as the company expands.

“I began my working life as an apprentice and I’m delighted to see a record number of apprentices joining JCB this year. It’s a fantastic way to learn skills vital to our business, progress to degree-level study and to advance to senior roles in the company.”