How Bradford Manufacturing Week has transformed the lives of thousands of students

A report analysing the 2021 West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce-led careers initiative, shows 100 per cent of participating schools felt their pupils benefited from being involved.

Compiled by Bradford-based school and career specialists The Opportunity Centre, which co-ordinated the fortnight of school and manufacturer activities, the report shows that in just 10 days, almost 3,000 local young people aged 14 to 18 had some form of manufacturing experience as Bradford manufacturers brought the sector to life through in- person tours, online ‘meet the manufacturer’ and ‘meet the apprentice’ sessions and Barclays Life Skills workshops.

Bradford Girls’ Grammar School year 10 student Sanah Nisa who this year joined 100 members of her year group to hear from female manufacturing leaders from Gesipa, Canvasman, Solenis, Keighley Laboratories, Produmax, Mansfield Pollard and Christeyns UK, said: “It was fascinating listening to the women on the manufacturing panel at school – they were so honest about their experiences and gave us great guidance and advice.

"It was a surprise to hear about the different opportunities there are in manufacturing – it certainly isn’t like I imagined and has made me want to find out more about the career options there are.”

Another link was formed when student Holly Emmott from South Craven School met former pupil and now apprentice design engineer Kyle Elliot, during a site visit to Skipton manufacturer Guyson International.

Kyle joined Guyson after listening to a presentation from the company’s managing director Mark Viner during Bradford Manufacturing Weeks in 2018 and went on to take part in Guyson-hosted mock interviews in 2019, joining the team officially as an apprentice later that year.

Nick Garthwaite, Chair of the Bradford Manufacturing Weeks steering group and Director of Bradford chemicals and detergents manufacturer Christeyns, said: “Our range of activities in 2021 has meant that once again, we were able to produce another educational, inspirational and invaluable two-week careers event. The true legacy is the ongoing relationships between manufacturers and schools."