Cameron Pinder, an apprentice with medical device manufacturer Kirkstall Precision Engineering, won the gold medal at WorldSkills UK in November last year. Speaking at the launch event for the 2025 Leeds Manufacturing Festival, he described what winning has meant to him and why more manufacturers should put young employes forward to compete in the ‘Olympics’ of skills.
Employers, training providers and engineering students came together at UTC Leeds in April to learn how T levels and industry placements, which are a key part of the two-year qualification, can create a pathway for apprenticeship recruitment and how employers can adopt best practice to ensure apprentices successfully complete their training. They also heard from a panel of apprentices, who described their experience and what attracted them to careers in manufacturing and engineering.
Younger employees are playing an increasingly important role in the Leeds Manufacturing Festival, taking part in recruitment fairs, careers panels in schools and talking to students about what it’s like to work in modern-day manufacturing, as employers bid to attract the next generation into the sector.
Simon Logan, site services co-ordinator at Technical Control Systems, which designs and manufactures switchboards and control panels, explains how industry placements are helping identify and bring the next generation of engineers into the business.
Winners at the Leeds Manufacturing Festival awards evening have spoken about the importance of the awards as an inspiration to younger manufacturing employees and potential new recruits to the sector...