How manufacturers can modernise working practices to attract a younger workforce

Mr Wilson switched his 48-strong team to a four-day week in 2020 and said he wouldn’t go back.

"I’ve always felt it’s important to spend time as a family on the weekend,” he said. “But I also understand that some people like to work overtime and when push comes to shove, sometimes we have to do it.

"Now, if we have to do overtime it’s on a Friday. That side of things helps with recruitment because we’re not expecting people to work on a Saturday or Sunday and they get an extra day off in the week.”

However, Mr Wilson, whose company makes a diverse range of products including water treatment tanks, pizza ovens and motorhome parts, added: “I heard of one company recently that opens for a certain period of time and you can go in and do your allocated hours for the day at any time during that period.

"That could be a challenge for some manufacturers because if one employee is relying on another to turn up to work at 6.30am but they don’t turn up until 9.30am, that’s tricky.”

Attracting a younger workforce to a manufacturing environment can be a challenge in other ways too. Mr Wilson said: “The way of working is very different. Some people can’t get their head around being stood up for eight or nine hours a day.

“But there are some great benefits too. People take a great deal of pride in taking raw materials, building a product and seeing that come to life.”

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The Leeds Manufacturing Festival, which begins on Wednesday, gives employers the chance to explain some of the job opportunities available within the sector. “As well as manufacturing roles, every business will also need marketing, sales, a finance department, HR and health and safety. There are various opportunities and career paths through a company,” Mr Wilson said.

The Leeds Manufacturing Festival 2024 includes an extended, year-round programme of events highlighting career opportunities for young people in the region’s manufacturing sector.

Now in its seventh year, the festival is designed to raise the profile of the industry in the city, promoting the wide range of careers on offer, and building relationships between employers and schools and colleges.

Manufacturing and engineering businesses, from Sulzer Pumps and Kirkstall Precision Engineering to air conditioning manufacturer Airedale International and iconic textiles producer AW Hainsworth, are involved in this year’s festival, which has become a cornerstone of many firms’ new recruitment strategy.

Mr Wilson said: “We tend to get more people contacting MPM now to ask if there are any vacancies or apprenticeship roles. It’s all very well for manufacturers to moan about the skills gap but if you’re not getting involved with things like the manufacturing festival, you’re not promoting yourself into schools and the next generation.”