Sir James Dyson hoping to recruit promising engineers after they finish trainingEngineering company Dyson has announced it is to be double the number of jobs in its research and development division this year.

The team in Wiltshire will increase from 350 to 700 staff as the total number of employees at the base reaches almost 1,600.

Last year, Dyson announced that it was outsourcing manufacturing to Malaysia.

According to the Sunday Times Rich List, Sir James Dyson’s personal fortune increased by 64 per cent over the past 12 months to £920 million.

However, he apparently has not forgotten the value of offering places to young engineering talent after they have finished training courses.

Mr Dyson said that with a high-quality of aspiring engineers and scientists currently in education or apprenticeship schemes, it fell to his company to "encourage the future generation".

He added: "As our need for good design and technology increases, so does the need for creative and adventurous designers, engineers and scientists."

By Colette Paxton