JCB look to recruit 100 new welders

Soaring product demand creates need for more welders at company’s Staffordshire manufacturing plants

JCB are recruiting 100 new welders for their Staffordshire factories as demand for their products continues to soar, the company announced today. The recruitment drive has just got under way for the permanent jobs at JCB’s World Headquarters and the company’s plants in Cheadle and Uttoxeter.

In September, JCB will also welcome an additional 15 new recruits on to their fabrication and welding apprenticeship. In the past three years, almost 70 welding apprentices have passed their courses – and all gained permanent JCB jobs.

JCB say the news comes as demand for their machines reaches historic highs, with most products now sold out until next year. It also comes in a year when JCB have recruited 1,350 new shop-floor employees and handed permanent JCB contracts to 1,000 agency employees.

JCB’s chief operating officer, Mark Turner, said: ‘Over the past five years the number of welders in the UK has shrunk, which presents businesses with a big challenge at times of high demand.

‘We have been working very hard over the past few years to tackle this shortage and attract new entrants to this highly skilled job with our apprenticeship and training programmes, which have been very successful. We are delighted to be building on that success with the creation of 100 permanent new welders’ jobs.

‘JCB offer some of the best conditions and pay rates in the region, and with opportunities for nightshift work and overtime, this is great news for welders in the area looking to join a successful global company.’