Manufacturing firms from across Leeds were given the chance to meet future employees and would-be apprentices at a Manufacturing Careers Showcase at Leeds City College Printworks Campus on 16 March.
Organised by Ahead Partnership, on behalf of the Leeds Manufacturing Festival, the careers showcase provided the ideal opportunity for manufacturing employers to meet students, showcase their businesses and highlight the wide range of roles and career opportunities available in manufacturing today.
The event included a careers fair, break-out employability sessions and concluded with a careers panel for students and teaching staff.
Students aged 14 and over attended, from a range of courses at Leeds City College including Engineering, Business and Digital, along with students from UTC Leeds and the Ruth Gorse Academy.
Exhibitors at the event included Sulzer Pumps, Brandon Medical, Greyhound Box, Marton Mills, Daletech, MPM, Medasil, Leeds Welding Company, HWL Windows, Kirkstall Precision Engineering, Oilgear, CCL Stressing Systems, Saftronics and E3 Recruitment.
Alice McEvoy, HR business partner at Sulzer Pumps said: “We really enjoyed the Manufacturing Careers Showcase. It was exciting to meet the future stars of manufacturing and engineering in Leeds, and to see them so keen to meet businesses in the industry.
“We were really impressed by the interest that they showed in working in the sector and we had some very well thought out questions about our business.”
Alice added: “Sulzer Pumps have always supported apprentices, with some of our former apprentices moving into management roles and celebrating 30 years of working here! We were also very excited to see one of our colleagues on the careers panel at the event talking about his career with Sulzer, from his apprenticeship to his upcoming move to Sulzer Australia.”
Employability workshops at the event homed in on CVs, interview preparation and work readiness, and were hosted by Faron Convey from Ahead Partnership and Laura Rogers from the sponsors, E3 Recruitment. The workshops were attended by students from the Leeds City College Level 3 Engineering cohort.
Panellists for the Careers Panel Discussion were Amanda McLaren from AW Hainsworth, Corin Townsend from Sulzer Pumps, Mark Sherwood from Saffery Champness and Callum Good from E3 Recruitment.
Level 2 students from Leeds City College were especially keen to discuss their next steps, whether to go to university or embark on an apprenticeship. Panellists described the range of roles available in manufacturing, what qualities employers are looking for in young people, the support new starters will receive to develop skills and the career opportunities available, including working overseas.
