ENGINEERING
Joining the team – Katmex apprentices Jay Dimmick , Josh Cuthbert , Quinn Devon , Ryan Sedgwick , Shannon Clarke and Megan Boyes .
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
How apprentices are helping forge a strong future for Katmex
WORDS : DAVE ROBSON PICTURES : TOM BANKS
New talent is the lifeblood of any business – and for engineering firm Katmex , an influx of apprentices will provide just that .
This year alone , the Stocktonbased steel firm is taking on eight new apprentices .
And if the policy proves successful , the process will be repeated next year and beyond .
It should help ensure a continuing conveyor belt of talent for a firm that since 1999 has supplied steel components to the heavy earthmoving and construction equipment industry from factories in Stockton and , more recently , Seaham .
Katmex provides processed and fabricated steel parts for medium to heavy industry – not , perhaps , an obvious career choice in this increasingly digital age .
But maybe it ’ s not surprising that Katmex is pinning some of its faith in apprentices – after all , MD Lee Cranston started his career following an accountancy apprenticeship .
And driving the policy forward is production engineer Nathan Wall – winner of the Future Leader category at the Tees Business Awards 2024 and himself a former apprentice at Katmex .
The eight-strong 2024 apprentice intake will take roles in everything from production and quality to HR , IT and production planning .
As part of their enrolment programme , production and quality apprentices will undergo a six-week induction in the factory , going from department to department so they know how the whole business works .
And that , says Lee , should help them get a feel for the place while , hopefully , becoming part of the Katmex family .
He said : “ They may not necessarily end up working in that department but at least they will have the knowledge of what the company does .
“ The hope is that most will stay on at Katmex and progress their career , eventually taking on management and leadership roles .
“ We ’ re realistic that after three or four years , some will continue with us , and some will move on .
“ We hope that most will stay with us , but we also hope that the ones who do move on will say ‘ I ’ ve had a good start to my career at Katmex ’, and that will send a positive message to future students and apprentices coming through .”
The new apprentices join 100 existing employees at the firm ’ s recently refurbished Stockton depot and 25 at Seaham .
And Lee believes it ’ s important to keep attracting new talent to an industry that could be seen as less attractive than before when compared to , say , tech and digital roles .
Lee told Tees Business : “ In this region , there are shortages of certain skills , so we are looking to hopefully backfill some of that and develop these apprentices to move forward with the business .
“ One of the big hurdles has been attracting school or college leavers into this industry , but I don ’ t think people know enough about it .
42 | Tees Business