A GROWING Cross Hills company gave its backing to National Apprenticeship Week.

Brooksbank Valves currently has two mechanical manufacturing engineering apprentices from Nelson and Colne College within its 50-strong workforce.

And a third is completing basic training before joining the shopfloor in September.

Paul Brooksbank, the company’s production and health and safety manager, said: “I’m a great believer in apprenticeships, having been there myself.

“We reinvented our previously-weak apprenticeship programme three years ago when we took our first Nelson and Colne College recruit.

“An apprentice does the basic training at college and we enhance that, tailoring it to our needs.

“I’m proud of the apprenticeship programme and it is something we need.”