Polymer Apprenticeship

Join Icon Plastics, a fast-growing manufacturing business where no two days are the same. At Icon Plastics, you’ll work with modern machinery, automation, and an experienced technical team while developing real hands-on engineering skills. With major investment, exciting new projects, and genuine career progression.

Requirements

• Essential qualifications:
  • GCSE in Maths and English (grade A*-C (4-9))
• Skills:
  • Communication skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Organisation skills
  • Problem-solving skills
  • Analytical skills
  • Logical
  • Team working
• Other requirements:
  • Ability to attend the site daily (transport is available via train, with a 20-minute walk to the site; a closer station is due to open this year).
  • Willingness to travel to Wolverhampton to attend on-site training (27 days total over the apprenticeship).
  • Comfort with rotating shifts (6am-2pm, 2pm-10pm, 10pm-6am) as the end goal is to become a qualified technician leading a shift.

Responsibilities

• Assisting technicians with machine start-ups, process adjustments, and tooling changes across a range of injection moulding presses.
• Learning how to identify and troubleshoot production, quality, and tooling issues in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Supporting routine maintenance, material handling, and continuous improvement activities across the shop floor.
• Working closely with experienced engineers and production teams to develop technical knowledge and hands-on engineering skills.
• Gaining exposure to automation, quality systems, and manufacturing processes while contributing to daily production targets and customer requirements.
• Reviewing instructions or information (e.g., work instructions, sampling requirements, drawings, formulations, machine settings).
• Planning tasks and identifying/organising resources considering safety, environmental impact, security, quality, and cost.
• Identifying and documenting hazards and risks in the workplace.
• Applying health, safety, and environmental procedures in compliance with regulations and standards (e.g., daily machine checks, wearing PPE).
• Applying sustainability principles (e.g., in material choice, waste minimisation).
• Segregating resources for reuse, recycling, and handling.
• Selecting, checking, and preparing materials for polymer processing (e.g., weighing, control, blending, conditioning).
• Selecting, configuring, and checking mould tools, formers, dies, or other process equipment.
• Checking the installation and function of processing equipment.
• Connecting service connections (e.g., water, electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic).
• Checking hand tools, equipment, and machinery, including calibration records where applicable.
• Setting or checking machine settings (e.g., temperature, pressure, speed, time, distance) using instructions.
• Adjusting machine settings for speeds, positions, pressures, and safety of mould tool, former, or die movement to meet product specifications.
• Starting up manufacturing processes.
• Monitoring process feedback and adjusting process parameters.
• Shutting down manufacturing processes.
• Devising machine settings for new or modified equipment, tooling, or material.
• Testing and evaluating machine settings for new or modified equipment, tooling, or material.
• Selecting and applying optimal machine settings for new or modified equipment, tooling, or material (e.g., capability study).
• Interpreting data (e.g., process data, quality control, test procedure data) and using it to inform action.
• Identifying and resolving process faults.
• Applying post-processing techniques (e.g., assembly, printing, decorating, cooling, packing, labelling).
• Following quality assurance processes during manufacture.
• Performing quality control checks (e.g., parameter checks, taking samples).
• Identifying and resolving quality issues (e.g., defects, maintenance requirements).
• Escalating issues outside the limits of responsibility.
• Applying preventative maintenance practices (e.g., checking guarding, lubrication, cleaning tooling, safety checks, inspection for wear and tear).
• Applying continuous improvement techniques and devising suggestions for improvement.
• Applying team working principles.
• Communicating verbally with colleagues and stakeholders.
• Recording or entering information (paper-based or electronic) (e.g., process records, traceability records, QA records).
• Presenting information.
• Communicating in written form (e.g., handover notes, emails, non-conformances, design change requests, technical reports).
• Using information and digital technology, complying with GDPR and cyber security regulations and policies.
• Planning personal development needs, carrying out and recording CPD activities, and evaluating CPD against plans.