VICTORIA WAINWRIGHT, President of Bradford Chamber of Commerce and managing director of Naylor Wintersgill Chartered Accountants, writes:

Naylor Wintersgill has been an advocate for and financial supporter of Bradford Manufacturing Weeks, run by Bradford Chamber of Commerce, since its inception four years ago. The event brings young people and manufacturers together to help shape the future of Bradford’s manufacturing sector and inspire young people to explore the diverse range of career opportunities available to them.

With this year’s Bradford Manufacturing Weeks now well under way, I reflect on my own personal experience of how an apprenticeship in Bradford was my route to a skilled and rewarding career.

After leaving school I didn’t really know what I wanted to do but I’d always had plenty of drive. Applying for the position as trainee accountant and joining Naylor Wintersgill as the firm’s very first apprentice really nurtured that. Now 30 years later as managing director, having had an opportunity to work, learn and develop through practical real-life experiences myself, I am passionate about championing apprenticeships as a progressive career opportunity across the Bradford District.

I’m always looking to challenge those who still question the validity of apprenticeships and whether they can lead to promising, aspirational futures.

Having now maintained our apprenticeship programme at Naylor Wintersgill for more than 25 years to grow and develop our work force of the future in Bradford, we know how important it is that businesses play their part in providing the skills and confidence required for young people to succeed in the wider community and promote sustainable business growth for Bradford. This is one of the reasons why we are so proud to continue our commitment to Bradford Manufacturing Weeks.

We support many local owner-managed businesses in the sector and see first-hand the urgent challenges they face in addressing the growing skills gap. There is an exceptionally strong and diverse manufacturing community creating amazing things right here in our city, but the challenge is in getting the message out there to future proof their work forces. Bradford Manufacturing Weeks does exactly that. Future proofing workforces by actively helping attract young talent by changing perceptions of the industry and raising awareness of the varied careers available.

The two weeks of activities, whether work experiences days, tours, workshops or learning events, provide invaluable experiences bringing the world of manufacturing to life. It is important that we give young people the knowledge and tools to make informed decisions about their future and by introducing them to the district’s manufacturers through Bradford Manufacturing Weeks, we are able to help boost apprenticeship numbers and nurture more inspired, informed and ready to work applicants into the sector.

DEBBIE MELLOR, managing director of Keighley Laboratories and a Women in Manufacturing panel member, writes:

Bradford has a long and proud history as a centre for manufacturing and remains home to over 1,200 firms who collectively employ nearly 27,000 people, or 13per cent of the entire city’s workforce, second only to health and social care. The sector makes an enormous contribution, not just to the city’s economy, but to the national purse and if we are to continue to make a contribution then we have to ensure that our firms can access the talent they need to keep producing into the future.

Bradford is well known for being the ‘youngest city’ in the country and as a sector we can offer future generations excellent employment opportunities across a range of industry sectors. But to do this we need to shout as loudly as possible that we exist and we are hiring. More importantly young people need to know how they can access these opportunities, we need to be far more visible to them.

Manufacturing is moving into the fourth industrial revolution with increasing automation and digitalisation of traditional processes and products leading to new skills requirements which are perfect for a generation brought up using mobile tech. AI, Big Data and the Internet of Things are becoming more common place, we need to share this with young people.

I believe there is much we can do as industry to raise the awareness of apprenticeships, especially in the minds of parents, teachers and the young people themselves. Parity of esteem between vocational and academic routes into employment must be a collective goal for Bradford, we need to make apprenticeship vacancies as visible as possible.

Bradford Manufacturing Weeks aims to bring young people face to face with exciting opportunities in the sector across the district. The initiative is supported by manufacturers from a range of disciplines including chemicals, mechanical engineering and food production, providing young people with the chance to speak with existing apprentices, understand what happens in factories and, critically, help identify pathways towards these roles.

I believe it is a shared responsibility between business, education and government, local and national, to address the skills and challenges across the country. Here in Bradford we are leading the way and I would encourage all manufacturers to play their part. * See p20/21 for more on the Women in Manufacturing panel