THE first intake of fifteen new apprentices have been selected to join Sirius Minerals’ Advanced Engineering Technician programme.

The successful applicants attended an introduction day today, with a tour of the multi-billion pound project they’ll be working on when they start in September.

Over 1,000 people applied for the positions, and following a series of skills tests and interviews, the final 48 were invited to Sirius’ head office in Scarborough for an assessment day.

The company was so impressed by the high standard of applicants that it offered an additional five places.

The new opportunities come as Sirius ramps up the construction of its polyhalite fertiliser project at Woodsmith Mine, near Whitby, and a tunnel to new processing and port facilities in Teesside. The project is scheduled to reach the polyhalite seam in late 2021.