The benefits of apprenticeships and traineeships, along with the wide range of financial and practical support available to help manufacturing employers recruit and train more young people, will be explored at the next Leeds Manufacturing Festival event.

Speakers at the ‘Making apprenticeships work for your business’ breakfast event on 15 May, will include Leeds manufacturing bosses currently running apprenticeship programmes, as well as the city council’s head of employment access and growth, Julia Massey, who will set out the financial and practical support that is on offer for businesses taking on apprentices.

Leeds City College will also be involved in the event to explain the role of the college’s traineeship programme. The scheme helps young people who do not have the necessary grades, to prepare for apprenticeships and work with quality work experience, education and training, focusing on employability skills as well as English and maths.

Leeds Manufacturing Festival organiser and director of Leeds printing products manufacturer Agfa Graphics, Graham Cooper, said: “Since the Government’s apprenticeship levy was introduced in 2017, UK employers have actually reduced the number of apprenticeship starts and many are missing out on a tremendous opportunity. Numerous employers are also unaware of the existence of traineeships as an excellent precursor to apprenticeships, for young people who do not have the grades to start an apprenticeship.

“The 15 May event will guide employers through the maze of information and outline the tremendous benefits to manufacturing businesses of employing young people in apprenticeship roles, which is what the Leeds Manufacturing Festival is all about.”

The event will also hear from young people currently involved in manufacturing and engineering apprenticeship programmes, and there will be a question and answer session chaired by festival organisers.   

The ‘Making apprenticeships work for your business’ event takes place at MPM in Leeds from 8am-10am on 15 May, with a factory tour of the MPM glass reinforced plastic moulds production site available afterwards. For more information and to book a place, go to our events page.

Leeds Manufacturing Festival is sponsored by RSM, Womble Bond Dickinson, The Works Recruitment and Leeds City College. It is organised by Leeds Manufacturing Alliance, with the support of Leeds Chamber of Commerce, Leeds City Council and Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP). The initiative is complemented by Bradford Manufacturing Weeks, which take place in October.

Photo: Suzanna Hindle, an apprentice at engineering firm Saftronics in Leeds