Sky-high talent to be unveiled at enterprise competition

Sept. 30, 2010 - PRLog -- Young potential manufacturers from across Greater Manchester will be under the spotlight when they test their skills and creativity in the Hyde Group Make It in Aerospace Enterprising Schools Challenge at Dukinfield Town Hall on Tuesday 5 October.

Teams of 13 and 14 year-old boys and girls from 12 local schools will compete to create, market and sell a multi-functional, remote controlled rescue vehicle in the latest northwest heat of The Manufacturing Institute’s Make It in Manufacturing challenge series. They will have their work cut out to meet the demanding challenge set by Dukinfield-based Hyde Group, a global manufacturer of airframe and aero engine components and developer of engineering and tooling solutions for the likes of Rolls Royce, Airbus and BAE Systems.

The event is a collaboration between The Manufacturing Institute, the Hyde Group and the North West Aerospace Alliance (NWAA) and is part of a special series of aerospace themed Make It challenges which the NWAA are supporting through their ‘Take Off in Aerospace’ programme which encourages young people to join the sector.

Nicola Eagleton-Crowther, Make It Campaign Manager at The Manufacturing Institute said: “It can’t be stressed enough how crucial manufacturing is to our economy, particularly in these tough economic times. Most people don’t realise that manufacturing makes up 13% of our economy – compared to 8% for finance and banking – and that the North West is the largest manufacturing region in the UK. The continued success of manufacturing is vital to all of us and we need to ensure that we attract the brightest and best young people into the sector. Contrary to popular belief careers in modern manufacturing are exciting, rewarding and important and we can very clearly demonstrate this through our Make It events.”

Matthew Murray, Human Resources Director for the Hyde Group agreed: “We’re delighted to once again support the Make It challenge because global businesses like ours are knowledge-led and developing the next generation of talent is essential to our long term success. We hope to show the young people the reality of what a career in modern manufacturing and engineering is really like.”

On the day each team will establish a mini-manufacturing company and select job roles – from managing director to operations managers – through to finance, sales and marketing managers. They will develop, design and cost their product before pitching to a panel of business investment ‘dragons’ from the Hyde Group and Tameside Council. This year’s Hyde Group heat sees a very special and demanding dragon on the panel in Councillor Kieran Quinn, Executive Leader of Tameside Council, no stranger to manufacturing issues in the region as former head of Economic Development for the Tameside area.

He said: “This event will give our young people an exciting introduction to enterprise and broaden their horizons as to the types of career available to them. Manufacturing is so much more than operating machinery and working in production. It also includes engineering, human resources, marketing, advertising, buying and all the many job roles of a modern international enterprise.”

Reporters and photographers are welcome to attend the event. For further details or to confirm your attendance please contact Edward Moss: 0161 875 2642, mobile: 07794 192677, ed.moss@manufacturinginstitute.co.uk. Lunch available between 12.30 and 13.00.

Schools due to attend:

Alder Community High School, Hyde
Hyde Technology School, Hyde
Longdendale Community Language College, Hyde
Manchester Academy, Manchester
New Charter Academy, Ashton-under-Lyne
Priestnall School, Stockport
Reddish Vale Technology College, Stockport
St Matthews RC High School, Manchester
St Thomas More RC College, Denton
The Harthershaw College of Technology & Sport, Oldham
Radclyffe School, Oldham
West Hill School, Stalybridge
Copley High School, Stalybridge

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Small and medium size North West manufacturers have access to a fully or part-funded manufacturing review to review to assess existing working processes and identify the best areas for improvement.