The owners of the Port of Felixstowe have forged a link with the Colchester Institute to deliver an apprenticeship scheme.

Hutchison Ports UK is investing in the future by recruiting for maintenance technician apprenticeship roles within its engineering department.

The agreement will see Felixstowe, and Harwich International, apprentices training on a specialised three-year advanced manufacturing programme at the College.

Nick Luck, Hutchison Ports UK HR Director said: "The engineering departments at both the Port of Felixstowe and Harwich International are an integral part of the wheels that keep Britain moving. There is more to our ports than just moving containers.

"Our commitment to attracting, developing and retaining the best employees is enhanced by our investment in apprentices.

"We have experienced engineering teams committed to providing the engineering apprentices with constant support in the workplace whilst they work towards completing their professional qualifications through the training facilities at Colchester Institute."

As part of the ports' engineering teams, apprentices will work on live projects and state-of-the-art operational equipment, introducing them to the engineering requirements of the largest container port in the UK.

Responsibilities will encompass the maintenance and repair of over 200 internal tractor and trailer units for moving containers, including a growing electric vehicle fleet, autonomous trucks, numerous quayside and mobile yard cranes, and RoRo linkspan bridges and passenger boarding bridges.

Alison Andreas, principal and chief executive of Colchester Institute, said: "As members of the Haven Gateway Partnership, we have been aware of the opportunities that freeport status could bring to the ports of Harwich and Felixstowe for some time.