Teachers see the light

Oct. 11, 2010 - PRLog -- Southport based manufacturing company Unipart Rail-Dorman will prove there’s light at the end of the tunnel when they open their doors to local schools for a free, one day teacher placement event open to schools across Southport, Sefton, Merseyside and Lancashire.

In collaboration with The Manufacturing Institute, Unipart Rail-Dorman will be highlighting the wide range of exciting careers available within the manufacturing and engineering sectors and challenging the belief that the industry no longer offers the opportunities today’s young people want.

Unipart Rail–Dorman is an industry brand whose name is recognised across the world.  The company is synonymous with quality and innovation in rail and road signalling and hazard warning lighting technology and operate from a 3000m2 design, testing and production facility in Southport.

The interactive placement day will offer teachers a unique opportunity to learn more about today’s modern manufacturing processes, to see what really goes on within the £200 billion a year manufacturing sector and find out about future career opportunities for their pupils. There will also be a factory tour with the opportunity to speak to some of the company’s employees, from apprentices through to senior directors.

The day is organised as part of The Manufacturing Institute’s Make It in Manufacturing campaign, which aims to attract the brightest and best new talent into the industry.  The campaign promotes manufacturing as an exciting and rewarding career for young people, while dispelling the myths that contribute to a negative image of the sector.

Make It Campaign Manager Nicola Eagleton Crowther said:  “Events such as this are crucial in ensuring that teachers have up-to-date industry knowledge and experience which in turn helps to bring subjects alive in the classroom for pupils. Unfortunately it is becoming increasingly difficult for teachers to be released from school to take advantage of these types of opportunities which, as teachers play a large part in influencing young people about future careers, means teenagers are not always able to make informed choices about post-16 routes based on accurate labour market information.

“If you ask a teenager what they want from their ideal job, their wish list often includes decent pay, being creative, meeting people and travelling, early responsibility and promotional opportunities. We hope this event will clearly demonstrate to local teachers that these are typically features of a manufacturing career and show that there’s a huge disconnect between the reality of working in industry and the image that people have of the sector”.

There are still places left at the event which takes place on Thursday November 18.  If you are a teacher and would like to attend then please contact Stephen Melia at The Manufacturing Institute on 0161 875 2512.  
   
Notes to Editors

1. The Make It in Manufacturing campaign was launched by The Manufacturing Institute in 2006 to shake off the myths and negative perceptions that surround the sector and show the outside world, particularly tomorrow's workforce and potential investors, just how much modern industry has to offer.

2. The Manufacturing Institute (www.manufacturinginstitute.co.uk) is an independent charity - driven by manufacturers for manufacturers. For 15 years The Manufacturing Institute has helped transform manufacturing performance, working with over 4000 companies to help them gain competitive advantage from high impact skills building and productivity improvement programmes.

3. The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and European Regional Development Fund are funding a major expansion of the campaign, which is helping to promote manufacturing as an exciting and rewarding career destination for young people.

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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.