Member Article

Alliance Manchester Business School reinvent manufacturing

September 2015: Alliance Manchester Business School along with three leading North West manufacturing and engineering businesses, today launch a new project that aims to teach students at two local girls schools about the career opportunities available in engineering and manufacturing industries.

Reinventing Manufacturing, is a Business in the Community initiative, and will see Duo UK, Interface, and Siemens working with Alliance Manchester Business School and students from Whalley Range High School and Levenshulme High School for Girls for a interactive two-day (12-13 October) workshop project.

The project was developed after statistics from The Engineering Report 2015 showed engineering employers have the potential to generate an additional £27 billion per year from 2022 into the UK economy – the equivalent to the cost of building 1,800 secondary schools or 110 new hospitals.

Working together in project teams the students will create solutions to manufacturing challenges set by the companies, with the help of Alliance MBS and University of Manchester academics and industry experts. Shortlisted groups will then progress to the next stage where they present their idea to a panel of judges made up of industry experts and business leaders. The winning group will be will receive prizes including mentoring and work experience.

Industry experts from Duo UK, Interface and Siemens will be supporting the students in their project teams during the event and they will also hear from some of the University’s widening participation fellows who will speak about their careers in engineering.

Commenting on the project, Duo UK Brand Director Zoe Brimelow said: “I’m proud to represent this project that strives to give young people the opportunity to explore the myriad of career opportunities available in manufacturing and engineering.

“As a manufacturer ourselves, we’re constantly addressing the widening skills gap and searching to find individuals with the attitude and talent we need to strengthen our team and continue to grow our business which is why we take a proactive approach to inspire young talent.

“In addition, I personally feel incredibly passionate about inspiring young talent and women to explore the vast range of exciting and rewarding careers available to them in British manufacturing.”

Russell Miller, Director of Sponsorship and Business Relations at Alliance Manchester Business School, said: “Choosing a career option and selecting the correct education path is a huge decision to make - having an opportunity to explore the different options available is crucial in establishing what will result in a rewarding career for many years to come. “The aim of this project is to enlighten young people (especially girls who currently only account for 7 percent of those in engineering and manufacturing apprenticeships*) about the career opportunities in engineering and manufacturing by nurturing their curiosity in science, design and technology and encourage study in these areas. Together with Duo UK, Interface, and Siemens we hope to influence a cultural change in the engineering and manufacturing sector by encouraging more women to study and join the manufacturing workforce and we hope this project will provide valuable insight into the opportunities available.”

Emily Bird, STEM coordinator and Shumaila Latif STEM coordinator, said: “Levenshulme high and Whalley Range are extremely delighted to partake in the manufacturing project opportunity provided by Alliance Manchester Business School along with Duo, Interface and Siemens. The development of world-class talent in STEM is critical so fostering an open and diverse scientific community that draws from an array of unique experiences and viewpoints is a necessary step to realising this goal. We are dedicated to promoting careers in Science and Engineering to our students, as this is an area in which women are currently underrepresented.”

*EEF Women in Manufacturing Report ENDS

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Alliance Manchester Business School .