TEN youngsters are helping to safeguard the region’s manufacturing future after they fought off competition from 100 other hopefuls to win trainee positions that could lead to permanent jobs.

The successful candidates have taken up roles with a number of east Durham companies, as part of the East Durham Engineering Forum (EDEF) scheme.

The trainees, who are working towards NVQs with East Durham College and New College Durham, will find out in the next few weeks if their host companies will offer them jobs.

Before winning his place as a manufacturing trainee with NSK Bearings, in Peterlee, 19-year-old Phil Robinson had been made redundant from a demolition firm because of the economic downturn.

Meanwhile, 18-year-old Becky Watson was expected to pursue a career in childcare before taking up her position as a trainee at nearby Seaward Electronics.

EDEF business development manager Bill Marley said: “With few manufacturing companies taking on apprentices due to the current economic climate, the skills base has started to erode dramatically, so we asked our members to identify spare training capacity within their businesses.

“It’s crucial that skilled and trained individuals become part of a workforce to be able to lead local businesses out of recession, and this scheme has successfully matched ten young people into businesses.”

Easington MP Grahame Morris said: “Companies in east Durham that take on trainees and apprentices see benefits, with increased productivity, lower staff turnover and a higher quality of work from an employee they have trained themselves than through external recruitment.”