A youngster from Midsomer Norton has started his apprenticeship training programme with Wales & West Utilities as he bids to play a key role in the future of the company.

The new recruit, Reece Dyke, successfully earned a place on the company’s highly regarded apprenticeship programme and will now train to support its multi-million pound work across Wales and the south west of England.

He is part of the company’s latest apprenticeship programme which sees twenty-four people from across its operating area join the company.

The three-year programme will help the young people develop the skills to deliver a fast, efficient service that will keep customers safe and warm with a gas supply they can rely on for years to come.

This year’s intake of new recruits marks an increase on the last year’s apprentice numbers, which stood at twenty-two, and is 200% up on the company’s 2013 figures. Wales & West Utilities is committed to delivering on its apprenticeship plans and seeks to attract more young people into the gas industry through its bespoke training programmes.

Nineteen-year-old Reece, said: “I am thrilled to have been accepted onto Wales & West Utilities’ apprenticeship scheme. The number of places on offer meant the competition was extremely tough, so getting a place is amazing.

“Wales & West Utilities has an impressive record of continuous training and it means I can now develop my career in a working environment with some of the best training in the industry.

“Making sure 7.5 million people are kept safe and warm is no mean feat and maintaining the gas distribution network is an ongoing task. I am looking forward to playing my part and benefiting communities throughout Wales and the south west of England.”

The apprentices will carry out all their training at Wales & West Utilities’ state of the art training academies in Treforest, south Wales, and Bridgwater, Somerset, as well as local colleges.

The 2016 intake will focus on the companies Build & Repair teams that maintain existing gas equipment and lay new gas supply pipes, as well as Mechanical Engineers and Electrical and Instrumentation Engineers for Network Services teams who maintain the control systems of the gas network.

Wales & West Utilities has a team of more than 1000 trained and experienced engineers to help serve the 7.5m people across Wales and the south west of England that rely on its gas emergency and pipeline services. If anyone smells gas, thinks they have a gas leak, or suspects carbon monoxide poisoning, they should call: 0800 111 999, day or night.

The company is currently working on a multi-million pound, 30-year gas pipe investment programme which began in 2002. Old metal pipes within 30 metres of buildings are being replaced with new long-lasting plastic pipes with a lifespan of more than eighty years.