Hundreds of jobs on offer at Northern Ireland's Wrightbus during recruitment evening

Northern Ireland’s pioneering zero-emission bus manufacturer Wrightbus will be holding its latest recruitment evening as it seeks to find the next wave of talent to strengthen its team and support ongoing growth at an exciting time for the business.

The event will take place at its site in Ballymena on Thursday, September 21 from 5.30pm to 8pm and there will be the potential to leave with a job offer on the night.

There will be a chance to have a tour of the factory and meet departmental managers and the HR team.

Nicola McCloskey, HR Director at Wrightbus, said: “Following the success of our previous recruitment evenings, we are once again opening our doors so that anyone considering a career with us can find out about a host of positions currently available.

“With the potential to leave on the night with a job offer in hand, these events really are a fantastic opportunity and well worth attending.”

Anyone interested can email [email protected] or visit here.

The company is behind the world's first hydrogen and world's most efficient battery electric double deck buses, and is creating hundreds of jobs as part of its continued growth as a market leader in clean vehicles.

It took on its 1,000th member of staff last year - just three years after being bought out of administration by green pioneer Jo Bamford with just 56 people on the books. It now employs more than 1,200 people and has a mix of production and support roles available across the business.

Nicola explained: “As the business continues to grow, we are on the lookout for talented individuals to join us in our journey to create even more sustainable, environmentally-friendly transport around the world.

“There has never been a more exciting time to join this industry to begin or develop your career. We have a variety of roles available as we continue to build a better, more diverse and inclusive workplace for all our employees. Manufacturing is traditional viewed as a male dominated industry however we have a number of females working in roles in all departments and there is opportunities for everyone.

“Factories are often associated with being dark and dirty places where the work is repetitive, but today’s manufacturing environment couldn’t be more different from this misconception.

“Our plant is a bright, spacious place where staff are encouraged to innovate and improve to help us shape the future of such an important industry.

“We are actively recruiting for 160 support positions and have approximately 50 more support vacancies budgeted for the rest of the year.

“There is also a requirement for about 100 production positions between now and the end of 2023 - excluding active offers - and 50 apprenticeships. We look forward to welcoming new team members who share our passion for excellence.”

Production roles include skilled, semi-skilled and factory operative positions such as coachbuilders, electricians, mechanical fitters, welders, spray painters and assembly operatives.

To be successful in the skilled positions, applicants should hold relevant trades qualifications or experience in joinery, plumbing, glazing, electrical, auto electrics, welding, spray painting mechanics, etc.

For semi-skilled positions, candidates will need at least three months of experience with hand tools and successfully complete an assessment.

Wrightbus also has a wide range of support roles available including in HR, purchasing, engineering, sales, IT, quality and mobile service engineers.

Wrightbus launched its first zero-emission bus - the Streetdeck Hydroliner - in 2020 in Aberdeen, with the fleet entering passenger service in January 2021.

It is also behind the world’s most efficient double deck electric bus - the Streetdeck Electroliner, as well as single deck battery electric and hydrogen electric buses.

2023 has been hugely successful so far for Wrightbus following a string of new orders including 48 buses for Stagecoach for use in London and 117 vehicles for First Bus across the UK.

Nicola added: “2023 has been an absolutely superb year for Wrightbus with a number of high-profile deals confirmed as we continue to work to decarbonise the public transport industry and create more green jobs in Northern Ireland.

“But that success would not be possible without the hard work and efforts of our fantastic employees working here, so this family fun day was a small token of thanks for our teams for everything they do and also, a chance to bring everyone together outside of work and have a good time with their families.”