More than 130 jobs and apprenticeships are up for grabs as one of the country's most successful engineering firms unveils growth plans.

Punchline.com has learned there are up to 30 vacancies for permanent and contract roles at the business's Woodchester base, 100 roles elsewhere in Gloucestershire and plans to recruit 50 new apprentices in 2018.

The ambitious targets have been revealed by the already much-championed Wotton-under-Edge headquartered Renishaw, which also explained just where this will take its overall headcount.

"After the recession in 2009 we were 1,850 globally. Today we are 4,700 and growing. We have an estimated 2,360 in Gloucestershire.

"With these new vacancies we are looking to hit a figure of 5,000 in the near future," said Chris Pockett, head of communications for the business famously started in 1979 from a back bedroom by Sir David McMurtry (pictured above) and John Deer.

Time has gone when Renishaw could be described as an expert in metrology - the art of measurement.

Today the business cannot be pigeonhole into any one sector and its engineering prowess extends into 3D printing, 3D laser scanning, medical and healthcare (pictured above - a metal 3D printed cranial plate made by Renishaw), aerospace, electronics and automotive. The list goes on.

"We have 30 vacancies - a mixture of permanent and fixed term contract. These are primarily for assembly operatives, with some supervisor and store roles," said Mr Pockett.

"We aim to take on 50 apprentices this year across five bases - four in Gloucestershire and one in South Wales. Of those roles an estimated 42 are for Gloucestershire.

"Two of them are degree level apprenticeships. There are also software and electrical apprenticeships as well as our traditional technical and manufacturing apprenticeships."

For those interested in the roles the firm is staging a recruitment day tomorrow (April 25) from 10 to 6 at Stonehouse Court Hotel. More information is available on the company's website.

Pictured top: Young engineers at Renishaw.