Thompson is helping tackle youth unemployment by taking on five new apprentices at its Midlands-based manufacturing facility.
Lee Smith, from Cradley Heath, and Jaden Clement, of Sedgley, have joined the Halesowen company as electrical apprentices with ambitions to become design or commissioning engineers.
Kiran Woolley and Arun Dubb, from Dudley and Oldbury, are new mechanical apprentices while Joshua Pearson, of Rugeley, is employed in a general engineering role.
They all attend college one day a week to study engineering as part of a two-year, part-time course.
Thompson has also provided internships for two students from China and Germany. Qiao Liu is on a 20-week placement from her MSc studies in advanced management practice at Bath University and is working as a market analyst in the sales department.
Julia Schwenk, from Hochschule Furtwangen University, has spent six months at Thompson as part of her international engineering course.
"In a tough jobs market, it is very important to offer young people the opportunity to develop skills and knowledge. As a major exporter, Thompson is also committed to encouraging new talent not only to achieve its business goals, but also play a part in helping to sustain Britain's manufacturing sector," said Peter Lovegrove, Thompson's managing director.