Halesowen-based
Erodex Group, UK leaders in the design and manufacture of graphite electrodes, tooling and fixtures have taken on two new apprentices at its Wednesbury-based graphite machining facility. The company’s ‘state of the art’ machining facility has been established for over 35 years, enabling Erodex to machine a wide variety of graphite grades into highly-complex components for a range of industries.
Jack Needs joins the team as an apprentice CNC machinist, alongside 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.
Erodex director James Kirk said: “We are proud to be able to give these talented young people a start to their careers in engineering. At the same time, we are building our workforce of the future. 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 2023 saw Erodex relaunch their 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 are committed to providing a great experience for their apprentices and are 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 their apprenticeship opportunities, including virtual reality (VR) outreach sessions for students in local colleges. In the coming years, the Erodex plans to offer apprenticeships starting at level 3 in multiple disciplines including engineering technicians and a range of other opportunities 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 £2 million worth of planned investment in new machinery as part of a continuous improvement programme.
Founded in 1973, the Erodex Group recently celebrated its 50th anniversary and employs 90 people across two sites in the West Midlands with headquarters in Halesowen alongside the Wednesbury-based machining facility.