Yorkshire Water to recruit 160 apprentices

A water company is to recruit 160 apprentices over the next five years, it has been announced.

Yorkshire Water, which employs about 2,000 people in the region, says the recruitment drive is the firm's biggest to date.

The company said the scheme would help fill a skills gap predicted in the utility sector by 2025, partly caused by an ageing workforce.

Recruitment for the new roles will begin in May.

According to recent government figures, the number of 16-24 years olds not in education, employment or training (NEETs) in Yorkshire and the Humber region was 116,000.