Fourteen of Northern Ireland's promising young engineers have secured a post with wet processing equipment manufacturer CDE.

The firm has welcomed six new apprentices at its company's headquarters in Cookstown as part of a four-year programme run in collaboration with South West Regional College. It consists of a split between time in education and time in employment at CDE.

A further eight new apprentices have joined the company's Monkstown manufacturing facility in Antrim, where CDE has also partnered with Northern Regional College to tackle skills shortages and equip apprentices with traditional engineering skillsets such as fabrication.


"Many of our former apprentices are the driving force behind some of the most ambitious and significant projects we have delivered in recent years," Sean Kerr, Chief Operating Officer at CD, said.

"An important part of CDE culture is to support and encourage innovative thinking. Our CDE Apprenticeship Programme provides young people with the opportunity to play a significant role in the future of a local company and the development of its pioneering technologies."

Almost one-third (30%) of CDE's global Design Team is made up of graduates from its successful CDE Apprenticeship Programme which is responsible for the design of almost 2,000 wet processing plants across the globe.

The programme boasts a 100% retention rate for all apprentices who have progressed on to full-time roles in CDE.

(CM/JG)