A Birmingham engineering group has received a prestigious national award in recognition of its apprenticeship programme.

Lander Automotive, which is based near Quinton, was crowned SME employer of the year at the Government's National Apprenticeship Awards in London.

Lander Automotive supplies assembled products for the automotive industry, specialising in fluid and air transfer systems, structural assemblies and interior trim assemblies.

It has consciously decided to invest in growing its own talent through a large-scale recruitment drive to combat its ageing workforce and now has 60 manufacturing apprentices and five higher level apprentices on site.

Half of its workforce is under the age of 30.

Last night's ceremony also saw Lander Automotive named in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer list which is compiled annually by the National Apprenticeship Service to recognise excellence in businesses that employ apprentices.

The awards, now in their 14th year, are run by the National Apprenticeship Service and recognise excellence in two areas - businesses that grow their own talent with apprentices and apprentices who have made a significant contribution to their workplaces.

Lander Automotive's managing director Peter Tack said: "The apprenticeship programme is an integral part of our talent pipeline.

"The opportunities for our younger employees have never been greater with the expansion of our business and the upskilling of our team as a whole.

"The apprenticeship programme is a fundamental part of our strategic business planning process and our drive for excellence in the area of people development and involvement.

"We fully expect to have the future management team already employed here within our business."