The teenagers gathered in Lancashire for the grand final of the Manufacturing Enterprising Challenge competition, with 14 school teams of 14-15-year-olds from across northwest England battling it out to be crowned ‘Make It’ champions and to test their powers of innovation, creativity and clever thinking.
Each team established a mini manufacturing dairy company for the day and selected job roles – from managing director to manufacturing manager – through to finance, sales and marketing managers. They created a new milk-based product aimed at a customer of their choice, developed a marketing plan and designed their own product packaging. They then built an eye-catching and environmentally friendly vehicle to transport their product.
They developed, designed and costed their ideas, built their modern-day milk float from polydrons and constructed 3D products. Finally, they pitched to a panel of business investors comprising ‘dragons’ from sponsoring companies.
The event was part of The Manufacturing Institute’s ‘Make It in Manufacturing’ campaign designed to attract the best young talent to work in the industry, and to train for highly skilled job opportunities in manufacturing and engineering.
Over the past 12 months, nearly 500 young people and 100 teachers have taken part in the challenge. This has offered first-hand careers experience of manufacturing, and has eroded negative perceptions of the sector, with 60% of participants at the event’s recent grand final saying they would consider a career in manufacturing and 11% confirming that it would be their first career choice.
Manufacturing Institute Make It campaign manager, Nicola Eagleton-Crowther, said: “The recession is making young people think differently about future careers and many are now considering opportunities in manufacturing and engineering, which they see as contributing something real and tangible to the economy. Although the current job market is exceptionally difficult, there is need to look forward and think about how we bring in the brightest young people for the future.”
Source: The Manufacturing Institute
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