Ashfield and Mansfield district councils are working in partnership with Vision West Nottinghamshire College to help local people to secure work with an engineering firm that plans to create hundreds of new jobs.

Doosan Babcock and the college are holding a recruitment event at the college’s new Engineering Innovation Centre on Oddicroft Lane off Penny Emma Way, Sutton-in-Ashfield, on 24 February from 4pm to 8.30pm.

The Councils’ regeneration service suggested Doosan Babcock should hold a recruitment event in the Ashfield and Mansfield area due to the number of potential jobseekers with the relevant skills. The regeneration service was instrumental in introducing representatives from Doosan Babcock to the college and it is hoped they will continue to work together on an on-going basis.

Doosan Babcock is a specialist in the delivery of products and engineering services to the thermal power, nuclear, oil and gas, petrochemical and process industries. The company builds, maintains and extends the life of power and industrial plant worldwide.

The UK firm plans to create hundreds of jobs nationally over the next five years as part of its ongoing investment in essential skills for the UK nuclear sector and process industries such as oil and gas, refining, petrochemicals, chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

Roles will include mechanical fitters, pipe fitters, riggers/erectors, platers/fabricators, coded welders, on-site machinists, grinders/polishers, trade and project control apprentices, supervisors, health and safety officers, commercial engineers, planning engineers and quality engineers.

The college’s world-class £5.8m Engineering Innovation Centre brings together students learning mechanical and electrical engineering, motor vehicle maintenance, and fabrication and welding, from beginner courses all the way through to university-level study. It was officially opened this month by engineering icon Lord Bhattacharyya.

Sean Smith, Doosan Babcock’s Regional Welding Coordinator, said: “This event represents a fantastic opportunity for us to work with Vision West Nottinghamshire College, to find the engineering talent that our organisation values so highly.”

Cllr Kate Allsop, Portfolio Holder for Economic Regeneration at Mansfield District Council, said: “Vision West Nottinghamshire College’s fantastic new Engineering Innovation Centre is a real asset to the area. Its work with organisations like Doosan Babcock will dramatically improve the chances of local people progressing into well-paid employment.”

Cllr Jim Aspinall, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration at Ashfield District Council, said: “It is great to see that Doosan Babcock and Vision West Nottinghamshire College will be working so closely together, for this event and on an on-going basis, to provide high quality employment opportunities to local people.”