AN engineering firm is to take on scores of staff in a North- East town ravaged by job losses in the recession.

ThyssenKrupp (TK) Tallent, the biggest employer Newton Aycliffe, County Durham , said last night it is to take on 70 employees and eight apprentices at its plant on Aycliffe Industrial Park.

It comes after extra work was transferred from the firm’s plant in Bourn, Cambridgeshire, which is closing.

The Newton Aycliffe plant produces chassis products for automotive firms including Ford, Volvo, Honda, Nissan, Land Rover and Jaguar, and will recruit machine operators, forklift truck drivers and welders over the next two months. Eight apprentices, four from the town’s Woodham Community Technology College, will work at the plant, employing 950, in August.

Although the 70 full-time jobs will be temporary to begin with, there is a good chance they could become permanent if levels of work are maintained at the factory.

Last night, David Land, engineering and operations director at the Newton Aycliffe site, said: “With the recession in the late part of 2008 and early part of last year, we went from three shifts to two.

We have seen some recovery late last year and this year. We are probably back at around two-and-a-half shifts now.”

Mr Land said the market still had to recover some confidence before the positions could be made permanent, adding: “We have made a commitment and would like to firm these jobs up but we have to get some confidence.

“What we don’t want is hire and fire. We have been a bit cautious, taking on temps but once we have the confidence we’ll start to have them in as permanent employees.”

He said it was important to continue taking on apprentices, adding: “They are the lifeblood of our organisation.”

North-East recruitment firm Temp-Team has been engaged to find the 70 workers.

The posts are full-time on a three-shift pattern – 7am to 3pm, 3pm to 11pm and 11pm to 7am – with premium rate overtime likely.

Temp Team’s managing director Julie Cummings said: “ThyssenKrupp is looking for motivated, hard-working individuals preferably with a manufacturing background, although full training will be provided.”

Phil Wilson MP, whose constituency covers Newton Aycliffe, said: “I am really pleased that these jobs are coming to Newton Aycliffe.

We want to see more of it.

“Hopefully, the temporary jobs will become permanent and I am pleased the company is investing in apprentices.”

Yesterday’s announcement came as a boost to the town which suffered factory closes and hundreds of redundancies during the recession.

In January last year, about 180 staff lost their jobs when furniture company Europa Sofabeds closed, followed months later by 151 redundancies at German flat glass manufacturer Schott.

Other major employers including microchip maker RFMD made large cuts in their workforce and Thyssenkrupp was forced to make 286 redundancies over a threemonth period in 2008 as demand for its products was hit.