MORE THAN 200 jobs are set to be created at a poultry factory in Deeside.

A £7.5m investment in new technology and upgrades at 2 Sisters Food Group’s UK Poultry site in Sandycroft is creating more than 200 new jobs.

The site, based on Sandycroft Industrial Estate, processes one million birds per week and is one of the biggest sites within 2 Sisters employing more than 1300 colleagues. 2 Sisters is a major supplier to the UK’s largest supermarkets, as well as providing wholesale products to KFC.

This investment has enabled the installation of new technology including automated packing lines, new packaging machines, upgrading of cutting lines to increase capacity and the introduction of X-ray bone detection machinery for fillet production.

As a result of the investment, the site is now recruiting additional workers in roles such as butchers, trimmers, hangers and primary operatives working on various shift patterns.

2 Sisters is one of the highest paying food manufacturers in the region, with an entry rate for new roles at £9.50 an hour and for the skilled roles in butchery paying £11.50 an hour.

A 2 Sisters spokesperson said: “This investment is superb news for the future of our site and our colleagues as we create a skilled and sustainable workforce. This is a great reward for our colleagues’ hard work, commitment and outstanding efforts in these unprecedented times.

“Colleagues who join the Sandycroft team will have learning and development opportunities enabling the site to develop competent, skilled and sustainable teams and the site prides itself on promoting within, a large number of colleagues recently received 30+ year awards.”

In addition to the new roles, the site will be recruiting up to 60 new apprentices over the next 12 months.

Having launched their Butchery Academy Apprenticeship programme with Coleg Cambria, the site will provide fully-funded Level 2 Food Manufacturing Excellence in Poultry.

This will provide a vocational route for apprentices to gain a nationally recognised qualification whilst earning a market-rate wage not the usual apprentice rate.

Apprentices will start on a standard weekly wage of £393 - plus the potential to earn £431 per week after just 12 weeks. New intakes are planned to start every 12 weeks through to July 2022.

All colleagues joining the site will enjoy benefits including: free in-house training (including L2 food safety and L1 health & safety certification), subsidised canteen, staff shop, gym membership, retail discounts, up to 50% discount at selected restaurants and up to 70 per cent discount on days out such as theme parks.

For all vacancies anyone aged 18 or over can apply. There is no age limit and no requirement for any previous poultry or food manufacturing experience as a full structured learning programme will be delivered.

Applications and enquiries can be made by email to: Jobs.Sandycroft@2sfg.com or by phone 07873 302758.

For Apprenticeships- applications and enquiries can be made by email to: SandycroftApprenticeships@2sfg.com.