4 | Aycliffe Today Business
BUSINESS BITES
STILLER CELEBRATE £15M DEAL
Newton Aycliffe family firm Stiller
Warehousing and Distribution is
looking to create more new jobs after
celebrating a £15m deal with a major
multinational food packaging firm.
Stiller, based on Aycliffe Business Park,
hopes to create at least 10 new posts
after striking a five-year contract with
Coveris Rigid UK.
The £3m-a-year deal involves Stiller
managing Coveris Rigid’s newlypurchased Drum Park, on Drum
Industrial Estate in Chester-le-Street.
See our special feature on Stiller on
pages 8 and 9.
BLACK & DECKER BOSS
RETURNS TO AYCLIFFE
A global manufacturing boss returned to
his former training college after nearly
35 years to present awards to talented
young engineers.
Colin Thirlway, who qualified as a
maintenance apprentice from South
West Durham Training back in the early
1980s, is now Director of Global Product
Compliance at Stanley Black & Decker.
Appearing as a guest speaker at the
training provider’s 47th annual awards
evening, he gave an inspirational
address to the trainees, talking fondly
of his own time at South West Durham
Training and his career since.
More on this is
at www.aycliffetoday.co.uk
NEW RECRUITS AT SOUTHDALE
Construction and development specialist
Southdale has added two new people
to its North-East team as they take their
first steps on the career ladder.
Sarah Dannatt and Lewis Minter have
become the latest young people to join
the team, which has recently moved
into new office space on the Aycliffe
Business Park.
Sarah, 20, from Darlington, has joined
the firm on a one-year business
administration apprenticeship, with
training support from Darlington
Borough Council, while trainee
quantity surveyor Lewis, also 20,
from Guisborough, is on a three-year
programme, with training from Redcar
and Cleveland College.
More at www.aycliffetoday.co.uk
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Ebac’s team won the 2014 Woodham Academy
Apprenticeship Awareness Programme
EBAC WINS
APPRENTICESHIP
AWARENESS
PROGRAMME
Six high-profile businesses spent nine
weeks taking part in the successful scheme,
which is part-funded by the Great Aycliffe and
Middridge Partnership (GAMP) and brings
education and business together.
Ebac along with Finley Structures,
Shepherd Construction, Gestamp Tallent, livin
and Thorn Lighting took part in this year’s
competition.
Ebac’s Operations HR Manager told
Aycliffe Today: “I’m absolutely overjoyed.
“I love doing the Apprenticeship
Awareness Challenge. I think it’s fantastic
to get the kids involved, to give them an
awareness of what’s out there.
“Not everyone can go to University, or
wants to go, but n Apprenticeship is just
another way of getting into business, to learn
and get the knowledge as you go.
”
Jessica Dawes, Commercial Apprentice at
Gestamp Tallent who was involved this year,
added: “I’ve loved every minute of it.
“I love coming into schools, because
when I was younger you weren’t told about
Apprenticeships, you were just told to go to
college and University, so it’s good to speak
to young people and show them the different
routes.
”
Newton Aycliffe manufacturer
Ebac won Woodham Academy’s
2014 Apprenticeship Awareness
Programme.
Finley Structures were also winners in the
competition after their team’s display was
named the best presentation.
More than 100 year 9 students took part
in a carousel of workshops, dubbed “speed
networking” when the companies involved
,
gave the youngsters a short insight into what
they do.
The tutor groups were then allocated
one firm which they will visit and get to
know more about them and Apprenticeship
opportunities.
After visiting the firm, businesses made
several return visits to Woodham to help
young people put together a presentation,
which were delivered during a special
evening at the school, when our display came
out top.
Woodham head teacher Christine Forsyth
said: “It’s great that children have had the
opportunity to go and see businesses first
hand and find out what opportunities are out
there.
“It’s also been a real pleasure to have local
firms working with our young people. I think
they’ve learned a lot about what schools do.
”
EBAC STRIKE AMAZON DEAL
Ebac has won another major deal to
supply freezers to online retailer Amazon.
Ebac bought the Norfrost freezers brand
and equipment in 2013 and launched a new
fa