A North Yorkshire plant services company is calling for more women to consider joining the industry after successfully recruiting their first female apprentice.

RJC Plant Services, a waste management company based in Church Fenton, near Selby has faced difficulty filling the vacant roles created through increased demand for their services and a national shortage of drivers.
However, 17-year-old Neave Romans from Sherburn in Elmet has now joined the company as a mechanic apprentice with Wakefield College and bosses hope this will encourage more women to consider a job in the industry.

Chris Jackson, co-director of the business said: “As a family friendly, value led business, with no zero-hour contracts, or working away, we’d love for more females to consider becoming drivers and apprentices. We’re delighted Neave got in touch and has now joined the team and look forward to supporting her develop her career in the industry.”

Neave adds: “I was looking for an apprenticeship role as I wanted to be hands on and get paid whilst learning but I wasn’t sure what industry I wanted to work in. I’d seen a lot about RJC through social media and heard lots of good things so when I saw the apprentice role, I applied and came to meet the team. I’m really enjoying it so far and think the industry needs to encourage females into roles as there’s lots of opportunities.”

Emma Turner, head of apprenticeships at Wakefield College, said: “Apprenticeships continue to play a vital role in the economy, and I’m delighted to see we are working with RJC Plant Services.

“As one of the largest providers of education and training in the District, we are keen to offer people opportunities to succeed. It’s wonderful to see Neave has set her sights on a career in engineering which was traditionally seen as a male-dominated industry. As a college, we support our learners and encourage them to follow their dreams and I’m sure Neave will help inspire more females to consider engineering as a viable career path”.

Apprenticeship roles require no previous experience however to be a grab or sweeper driver, applicants need to have a Class 2 Driving Licence and up to date certificate of professional competence which can be obtained from professional service providers.

John Harrison, co-director said: “We’ve grown the business considerably over the last few years, which has led to an increase in demand for our services. However, this has come at a time when many industries have faced recruitment issues, especially for qualified drivers and we would love to see more people, especially women consider a fulfilling and well-paid career in the plant services sector.”

Anybody interested in joining the industry, or has questions about the entry requirements can contact Chris and John for an informal chat rjcplantservices@gmail.com