Campaign targets recruitment of young talent

A The Manufacturing Institute product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Nov 20, 2006

The challenge of attracting young talent into industry is being tackled head on by the new Make It campaign, launched by the Manufacturing Institute during National Enterprise Week.

The challenge of attracting young talent into industry is being tackled head on by the new Make It campaign, launched by the Manufacturing Institute during National Enterprise Week.

Major manufacturing employers, including Siemens, Linpac, LG Philips Displays, Smiths Aerospace and Typhoo Tea are the first businesses to pledge their support to Make It, which is designed to promote the sector's exciting career opportunities to young people.

Speaking at the launch, Nicola Eagleton, Education Executive for The Manufacturing Institute, said: "Make It is the banner for a whole raft of education and awareness activities aimed at introducing teenagers to manufacturing and dispelling the many myths that contribute to a negative public image of the sector".

"Modern manufacturing is a global enterprise competing on innovation, creativity and clever thinking".

"We want to show young people that this is a challenging career opportunity for the very brightest people seeking high pay, early responsibility, international travel and rapid promotion".

The true facts about manufacturing will be laid out in a Make It website, which will be shaped by the campaign's business patrons and young people.

It will include career and training information, competitions, teacher resources, fun facts and news, together with links to work experience, apprenticeship and recruitment opportunities.

The site will also house a comprehensive and exciting GCSE in manufacturing online resource pack, currently being developed by The Manufacturing Institute.

The Make It launch took place at a lunch during the Skills NorthWest careers event in Manchester, at which The Manufacturing Institute managed the Manufacturing and Engineering Zone - involving young people in a range of hands-on activities delivered by manufacturers and their apprentices, along with other agencies.

The lunch was addressed by Paul Holme, Regional Skills Director for the Learning and Skills Council, who highlighted the skills crisis threatening the manufacturing sector.

He said: "Graduate levels in engineering and manufacturing are down by 41% over the past nine years, which is indicative of a lack of young people entering the profession".

"With an ageing workforce, employers are storing up major problems for the future unless they act now to bring teenagers into the sector".

Special guest at the lunch was 22-year-old Young Manufacturer of the Year Rachael Wiggins, of C-Tec, who won the title this November in the Manufacturing Institute's 2006 Business Awards.

She said: "I'd really encourage other young people to consider manufacturing as a career - it offers so many diverse opportunities in terms of the skills that you need, the different roles you can play, the varied focus of all the many departments - as well as all the different sectors in the industry".

"I'm sure there can't be many other careers that offer this variety".