A MANUFACTURING careers initiative has had a positive impact on Craven students.

Since its launch in 2018, Bradford Manufacturing Weeks, which is sponsored by Barclays, E3 Recruitment, Naylor Wintersgill, LCF Law and Bradford Council, has delivered a series of impactful experiences including a Women in Manufacturing panel event at Bradford Girls’ Grammar School and Driver Awareness events with West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue and West Yorkshire Police.

One particular success story included student Holly Emmott from South Craven School who met former pupil and now apprentice design engineer Kyle Elliot, during a site visit to Skipton manufacturer Guyson International.

Kyle joined Guyson after listening to a presentation from the company’s managing director Mark Viner during Bradford Manufacturing Weeks in 2018 and went on to take part in Guyson-hosted mock interviews in 2019, joining the team officially as an apprentice later that year.

Mark said: “Kyle is a brilliant example of just what a difference Bradford Manufacturing Weeks is making to young lives. The initiative introduced him to Guyson and now, three years on, he is an apprentice with us and now represents the company when speaking with school pupils who visit us during Bradford Manufacturing Weeks. The more young people understand our sector and the careers on offer, the more informed decisions they can make about their own careers and the better our all-important talent pipeline will be.”

Nick Garthwaite, chairman of the Bradford Manufacturing Weeks steering group and director of Bradford chemicals and detergents manufacturer Christeyns, said: “Our range of activities in 2021 has meant that once again, we were able to produce another educational, inspirational and invaluable two-week careers event. The true legacy is the ongoing relationships between manufacturers and schools, meaning the benefits of Bradford Manufacturing Weeks continue throughout the school year.”

New figures in from Bradford Manufacturing Weeks 2021 show that in four years, the initiative has cumulatively brought more than 15,000 manufacturing experiences to students.