Excellence in Galvanizing
Wedge Group Galvanizing is giving the next generation of workers the chance to prove their metal after recruiting two new apprentices.
The company has recently recruited two additional apprentices as part of its ongoing commitment to workforce training and development, bringing the total number of youngsters employed on the scheme throughout the company to seven.
The latest two recruits are both working towards a Level 3 Electrician’s Apprenticeship. James Whiteside, who is 19, is learning his trade at Wedge Group’s Scottish Galvanizers plant in Glasgow, while Jake Moore, also 19, is based at the firm’s Edward Howell Galvanizers factory in Wednesfield, near Wolverhampton.
James and Jake join five other youngsters employed by Wedge Group who are already progressing through the apprenticeship programme. William Etchells is working towards a Level 3 Engineering Apprenticeship under the watchful tuition of Warren Bulger, Group Works Engineer, at Wedge Group HQ. Two more of the firm’s staff are now a year into their Level 3 Electrician’s Apprenticeship, 23-year-old Damien Waterhouse, who is based at the company’s Metaltreat Limited operation in Bradford, and 20-year-old Michael Simms, who has taken up a placement at Birmingham-based Hasco-Thermic Ltd, Wedge Group’s dedicated manufacturer of galvanizing plant and equipment.
Completing the firm’s current team of apprentices are 18-year-old Leanne Thomas at Worksop Galvanizing in Nottinghamshire, and Kelly Green, who is aged 16 and based at Hasco-Thermic Ltd, both of whom are working towards a qualification in Administration.
All seven roles are expected to become full-time positions upon successful completion of the apprenticeships, which are being delivered in conjunction with SEMTA, the Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies. Plans are also in place for additional apprenticeships to be created throughout the Wedge Group in the months to come.
“Galvanizing is an extremely specialised industry requiring a particularly highly-skilled workforce. Apprenticeships are a fantastic way for us to ensure we can nurture and improve these skills in-house,” Colin Leighfield, Operations Director of Wedge Group Galvanizing, explained. “In order for us to remain successful as a company, we need to continually invest in new talent, and these apprenticeships also give the opportunity for ambitious and enthusiastic individuals like our most recent recruits James and Jake to combine gaining vital practical work experience whilst also achieving qualifications that will stand them in good stead for the rest of their careers.”