01-08-2025
Teesside aircraft painting firm takes on local trainees
An aircraft-painting company has taken on 24 local trainees with little or no work experience in apprentice painters have received introductory training at Hartlepool College for six weeks before gaining hands-on experience with Airbourne Colours at Teesside employment begins on 1 November and the staff will receive a salary of £37,000 per a plan to bring in a similar number of new trainees every year, chief executive Steven Darbyshire said: "This is good money right on our doorstep".
Mr Darbyshire said a shortage of trained technicians in the industry led to meetings with Hartlepool College over the last few years to devise a specific training Stockton-born entrepreneur said: "I left Teesside because I couldn't find a job here."I've come back here last year and am now creating all these jobs for the youth of Teesside."Obviously I've got a lot of pride in that."
One of the trainees, Josephine Key from Eaglescliffe, said: "I'd done 10 years in TV production. It was very admin-based and I'd always wanted to do something a bit more hands-on and more practical."I always wanted to go into a trade and was looking at electrical work, building work and then I saw this pop up."
Ben Houchen, Tees Valley Mayor, said trainee painters will be earning £10,000 more than the average full-time salary for Teesside."We're really starting to ramp up better wages, which means more money in people's pockets so they can look after themselves and their families."
