Apprentices energy fuels new company

Vivergo Fuels apprentices at Saltend

Ten apprentices from across the East Riding and Hull have been recruited by a new company that is set to become one of the UK’s leading producers of sustainable energy.

Vivergo Fuels is investing £200 million in its new facility at Saltend, Hull, which, when it becomes operational in 2010, will produce an estimated 330,000 tonnes of bioethanol a year through the fermentation of wheat.

The apprentices come from a variety of backgrounds and are studying for trades in five different engineering disciplines. Supported by the LSC they are based at Humberside Engineering Training Association (HETA), a local training provider working with the company to deliver the scheme, and will spend between six and ten months in the training centre before going out onto the construction site.

One of the apprentices is Sophie Fletcher, 18, who will be working on the site at Saltend and is training to be an instrument/pipe fitter. She said: ‘I chose an engineering apprenticeship really because of my family background. My dad and uncle both work at BP and I saw it as a career I could work my way up in.’

Sophie is looking forward to getting out on the Vivergo Fuels construction site and has ambitions eventually to work off-shore or overseas. Dave Richards, managing director of Vivergo Fuels Ltd, said: ‘Apprenticeships are extremely important to the future of construction engineering. We decided to make a commitment to give ten young people from the local area the opportunity to train through our construction activities.’

‘The enthusiasm and commitment shown by the apprentices to date is commendable and we look forward to them working on site. We are continuing to work closely with East Riding of Yorkshire Council and other partners to help recruit local people for the construction and operational phases of the plant.’

The construction phase of Vivergo Fuels will create around 400 jobs and the plant, once operational, will employ 70 permanent staff. The LSC plans to support Vivergo Fuels employees training needs further through the utilisation of Train to Gain and ESF in relation to ongoing development needs once they have been employed.