The start of the new academic year sees Leeds Manufacturing Festival swing back into action, with students form UTC Leeds and the school of engineering at Leeds City College taking part in visits to manufacturing and engineering companies in Leeds.

The visits are an opportunity for students to find out more about the wide range of roles and opportunities that careers in modern manufacturing present. They have been organised to coincide with National Manufacturing Day (29/9/24), a national initiative to raise the profile of the sector.

Annette Hobson, regional membership manager for national manufacturing employers’ organisation Make UK said: “National Manufacturing Day has gone from strength to strength and is a great opportunity to shine the spotlight on the UK’s amazing makers. The sector has some of the highest starting salaries around, as well as brilliant prospects for learning and climbing the career ladder quickly.”

Careers in manufacturing will also be highlighted at the STEM Sector Showcase hosted by Roundhay School at the beginning of October.

The highly popular event offers school students the chance to meet and talk to employers from across the city and learn how qualifications in science, technology and maths can translate into rewarding careers in manufacturing and engineering.

The festival continues in October with a ‘best practice in manufacturing’ visit to Schneider Electric’s innovation hub and SMART factory in Leeds.

Schneider Electric is a global industrial technology leader bringing world-leading expertise in electrification, automation and digitisation to smart industries, resilient infrastructure, future-proof data centres, intelligent buildings, and intuitive homes. Anchored by its deep domain expertise, Schneider Electric provides integrated end-to-end lifecycle AI enabled Industrial IoT solutions with connected products, automation, software and services, delivering digital twins to enable profitable growth for its customers.

Employing circa 550 people at its smart factory and innovation hub in Leeds, it specialises in design, development and manufacture of grid, substation and meter management systems designed to maximise energy efficiency for a range of sectors: distribution network operators, commercial and industrial building operators, healthcare, hotel, manufacturing, oil and gas, cloud and service providers, banking and finance.

The company was named as ‘Employer of the Year’ at this year’s Leeds Manufacturing Festival awards, recognising the investment it makes in workforce development and bringing new talent into the industry.

This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to visit the company's Leeds manufacturing facility and forms part of an invitation-only series of company visits, providing manufacturing employers, education and training providers with the opportunity to share insights and learn from best practice within the industry.

In November, UTC Leeds opens its doors to STEM sector employers, education and training providers across the region, with its careers fair designed to introduce students to the diverse opportunities engineering and manufacturing careers present and help them make informed choices on their future destinations and careers.

Chris Black, managing director of Sound Leisure and member of the Leeds Manufacturing Alliance, which organises the festival, said: “We’re very much looking forward to welcoming students into our factory as part of National Manufacturing Day.

“As employers, it’s vital we get ourselves in front of the next generation and make them aware of the great opportunities careers in our sector present.”