Seven new recruits have been taken on by a leading engineering company.

They are the latest hirings at Koso Kent Introl, which recruited 14 new staff in the second half of 2013.

The company, which manufactures and exports control valves, high-technology surface choke valves and high-performance rotary valves to the oil and gas, petrochemical and power industries worldwide, opened an 18,000 sq ft factory and a hi-tech £2 million machining centre in Brighouse, where it has been based for more than 40 years.

James Palmer has joined as area sales manager, John Abrahams as design engineer, Mark Jepson as CNC operator, Sara Crawshaw as receptionist/administrator, Peter Ford as fitter, Steve White as workshop supervisor and Chris Wilson as workshop engineer. David Limb, sales director, said: “We’ve started 2014 on another positive note with new faces and skills. Maintaining a global team of experienced and skilled people is part of our ethos.

“We nurture, train and develop each individual and team to create the most hi-tech valves and to deliver the highest levels of service to our customers.”

The appointments coincide with new findings showing that more than half of 14-25 year- olds feel they do not have the practical skills needed to find an entry-level job.

The LifeSkills Youth Barometer also shows 24 per cent of young people say they receive no careers education, while one in three felt they were not getting the training to be successful in work.

Youngsters worry that they won’t know how to do basic work tasks such as calling clients, writing e-mails or even what to wear.

These responses echoed those of employers in a recent LifeSkills employability research, which found more than half of HR decision makers in small and medium companies believed young people at entry level were unable to handle clients, customers and suppliers.

Lifeskills, run in conjunction with Barclays bank, is sponsoring National Careers Week next month in a bid to boost awareness and ensure young people have the skills they need to move into the workplace. The event will form part of National Apprenticeships Week from March 3-7 .

It will feature a range of sessions and activities across the UK, including opportunities for young people to meet and learn from businesses from diverse sectors. Workshops will be held to teach skills such as CV writing, job applications and interview techniques.