Pictured above: (l-r) Tamworth MP Chris Pincher visits Protech Plastic Containers and meets PPDG job seekers Ben McCluskey and Joshua Gifford who are both carrying out work placements at the company. Next to them is PPDG employment coach Lindsey Walker

A Staffordshire manufacturing company is bucking the economic trend and is about to expand its workforce after forging local partnerships.

Tamworth based Protech Plastic Containers, which  manufactures cans for some of the UK's leading paint retailers, has built relationships with both Tamworth College and employment and training experts Pertemps People Development Group(PPDG) after experiencing continual sector growth.

Protech are providing local job seekers with work placements through PPDG while the college is supporting the business through the apprenticeship scheme. And the company is currently on the lookout for another apprentice in addition to 17 year-old Sarah Taylor who is presently undertaking an administration apprenticeship.

MP for Tamworth Chris Pincher held discussions at the Lichfield Road factory with all parties during a hosted tour of the plant. Speaking afterwards, he said: "Protech are the perfect example of a local success story, a company making a massive impact in the marketplace and going from strength to strength. Partnerships like these with PPDG and the college can unquestionably impact on the high unemployment levels in Tamworth. Work placements are an excellent idea that can lead to the creation of permanent jobs as the economy improves and I hope we can see an increase in such proactive partnerships."

In just 18 months since the company was established, the workforce has increased from eight to 25 with five more jobs set to be created this year as Protech anticipates further growth.

General manager Mike Clarke said: "We have an arrangement with PPDG whereby we offer four-week work placements and these have already resulted in two permanent job offers."

Ones such success is former soldier 23-year-old Ben McCluskey, from Glascote, who was previously unemployed for 18 months.

"After two years in the army I had to leave on medical grounds and have since struggled to find a job," he said. "The placement gave both me and the company a chance to see if we suited each other. It's a fantastic idea that genuinely works."

Lindsey Walker, based at PPDG's office at The White House, has built the relationship with Protech Logistics Manager Toni Tyler and ensures that her clients match all the business requirements. "It's a win-win situation all round, "she said. "It is something we would like to replicate with more employers across Staffordshire."

PPDG's team of employment experts provide advice on benefits, confidence building, one-to-one support, CV and interview preparation as well as finding the right job or training course. In partnership with DWP, the Ministry of Justice and Jobcentre Plus, PPDG delivers a diverse range of employment and training initiatives including Flexible New Deal, Working Neighbourhoods Fund, Learndirect and many ESF funded programmes. More than 100,000 job seekers have been helped into sustained employment by the company since the projects began. It has trained 130,000 people in vocational skills, and over 175,000 people have benefitted from professional information, advice and guidance services.