An awards ceremony has been held at EMR Middlesbrough to recognise 13 members of staff who received vocational training at the site over recent months.
Two vocational courses – including Performing Manufacturing Operations, a Level 2 Diploma (NVQ) and an Industrial Environmental Awareness (BTEC) course – were made available to all employees, boosting the skills and the experience of this team that has been with EMR since April 2024.
Copper recycling will play an increasingly crucial role as the North East welcomes a range of green industries in the years ahead. By investing in its team today, EMR Middlesbrough is preparing for the opportunities that lie ahead.
Two ceremonies – one for each of the site’s shift teams - were attended by the leadership team at University Centre Quayside (UCQ), who delivered the training, as well as management from the site, and saw the team receive certificates to confirm their new qualifications.
The announcement means that 24 members of the EMR Middlesbrough team have now achieved these qualifications over the past two years, ensuring the majority of employees at any one shift will have the knowledge and skills required to help the facility succeed.
The facility at EMR Middlesbrough uses a range of advanced processes to recycle copper cable, producing market-leading copper granules to a purity of between 98% to 99.9%. These are then exported to customers in Europe and the Far East to be used in the production of chemicals, copper wire and electronics. Reusing the valuable materials in end-of-life products avoids the nature-depleting mining of new virgin copper and significantly cuts carbon emissions in comparison.
Carl Lerpiniere, EMR Middlesbrough Site Manager, said: “As the world continues to electrify, copper is in great demand and that means a site like ours – which takes redundant copper cable and produces high-quality recycled copper granules – will play an increasingly vital part in the world economy.
“The goal of this training was to build a team where everyone is as highly qualified as their colleagues, and we have a level playing field when it comes to skills and standards – whether that’s for the quality of our materials or the health and safety within the facility.
“Understanding how your actions feed into the success of the business as a whole is a great motivator. And, if we all work diligently and effectively, using the tools at our disposal, it's going to improve our reputation, improve the quality of our product, and elevate our standing with customers.”
