Following a period of significant investment in new machinery and as part of ambitious growth plans, Birmingham-based Tooling 2000, a specialist manufacturer of prototype and production tooling, three- and five-axis laser cutting and jig and fixtures, has recruited three new apprentices.

In order to boost capacity and expand capabilities further, the company has invested over £750,000 in new CNC machinery supplied by Hurco Europe Ltd and have a new turning centre capable of machining workpieces up to 550mm dia x 1m long arriving this month.

Since 1996, Tooling 2000 has delivered an end-to-end in-house service to customers including Rolls Royce, Jaguar.

Managing director Gary Dimplex said: “As a former apprentice myself, I recognise the importance of investing in young people and nurturing the next generation of talent within the business.

“We have ambitious plans that include significant investment in new technology and diversification into new markets and recruiting the three apprentices very much goes hand in hand with where we are taking the company.”

Tooling 2000 called upon its involvement with Next Gen Makers, an innovative private sector initiative in the West Midlands, that makes it easier for engineering and manufacturing firms to recruit engineering apprentices, to find the best young engineering talent for the roles. Jade Edmead and Owen Smith will now commence the level 4 Engineering Manufacturing Technician standards delivered by Dudley College and Luqmaan Iqbal commences a Level 2 Engineering Operative standard at Make UK before progressing on to level 3.

“We have been members of Next Gen Makers for around 12 months and our company has been promoted widely to engineering students at local colleges during that time. Once we decided that we wanted to invest in new apprentices, we felt that it made sense for us to use the platform that we had via Next Gen Makers to attract and identify the most relevant individuals for the roles.”

Next Gen Makers managed the recruitment process for Tooling 2000, liaising with local colleges and training providers in its network to promote the role and identify suitable candidates.

Mr Dimplex concluded: “Jade, Luqmaan and Owen have great apprenticeships ahead of them at a company seeking to invest time and energy into their development and following the successful completion of that, know that they can progress and enjoy a great career with us.”