FOUR years of hard work and dedication has paid off for a group of seven modern apprentices who have been given permanent contracts with excavator manufacturer Komatsu UK.

The group joined the firm, which is based in Birtley, County Durham, in 1997 on leaving school at 16, and were enrolled on an Engineering Modern Apprentice course.

The training, designed to equip the group with the skills needed to work in excavator manufacture, covered mechanical and production engineering skills.

They all spent six-month periods working in the different divisions of the Birtley plant, gaining practical skills alongside qualified engineers and production staff.

Members of the group also attended Gateshead College once a week, where they learned the fundamentals of engineering to back up their factory training.

Throughout the course, the apprentices were continually assessed on their performance and knowledge gained.

Now, all seven apprentices have completed the BTEC National Certificate in Engineering and NVQ Level 3 in Engineering Production.

Lisa Carson, personnel officer at Komatsu UK, said: "A lot of time and effort has gone into training the modern apprentices and we are immensely proud of the result.

"All seven have worked very hard over the past four years and shown a great deal of commitment.

"Consequently, their work has reached a very high standard, which is why they have been given permanent contracts."

Komatsu is committed to training young people through modern apprenticeships, which are designed to give young people qualifications and skills from work, to enhance their career prospects.

There are a further ten employees enrolled on modern apprenticeships.

The seven successful apprentices are: David Fletcher, Andrew Gardner, Mark Matthews, Neil English, Stephen Callaghan, all aged 20, and Craig Williams and David Weatherspoon, both aged 21.