Erodex appoints new apprentices at graphite machining facility

Erodex Group, a leader in the design and manufacture of graphite electrodes, tooling and fixtures, has taken on two new apprentices within its Wednesbury-based graphite machining facility.

The company’s machining facility has been established for over 35 years, enabling Erodex to machine its wide variety of graphite grades into highly complex components for a range of industries.

Jack Needs joins the team as an apprentice CNC machinist, accompanied by Kane Howl who joins as an apprentice grinder.

Both apprentices have embarked on a dedicated plan of learning within the Erodex machining facility as well as pursuing off the job learning at Make UK Apprenticeships and Training in Aston, Birmingham.

Company director, James Kirk, commented: “The nature of our engineering is highly skilled and involves working to extremely tight tolerances. As with most engineering firms across the country, we see a shortage of skilled time served individuals that fit our profile and we therefore accept that it is our responsibility to develop our own talent. We commit a significant amount of time to training our apprentices on the job and look forward to seeing them progress within the company.

“There will be opportunities for these individuals to grow within the business moving forward as we help them to develop the required skills. Everybody at the Erodex Group wishes them the best moving forward and I am sure that they will all continue to enjoy successful careers with us”.

January saw Erodex relaunch its Apprenticeship Scheme with the ongoing external consultancy support of Next Gen Makers, following best practice methods to ensure the apprenticeship scheme remains best in class.

Erodex is committed to providing a great experience for its apprentices and is pursuing accreditation for the Make UK Engineering Apprenticeships: Employer Kitemark through Next Gen Makers, which recognises excellent employers of engineering apprentices in the UK.

As part of ongoing skills succession planning, the company is also taking an innovative approach to attracting the next generation to apprenticeship opportunities, including virtual reality outreach sessions for students in local colleges.

In the coming years, the Erodex will be offering apprenticeships starting at level 3 in multiple disciplines, including engineering technicians and a range of other opportunities within other departments across the business.

The Erodex machining facility remains a key driver in the significant growth that the Erodex Group has experienced in recent years, receiving over £2m worth of planned investment in new machinery as part of a continuous improvement programme.

Erodex Group
www.erodex.com