Explore our range of Hydraulic, Thermoplas�c, PTFE & Industrial hoses. Hydraulic, Sewer Je�ng, Torque/Rescue, UHP, Gas Paint Spray, Fuel & Chemical hoses. CUSTOMISE WITH EASE – CHOOSE FROM A VARIETY OF COLOURS TO OPTIMISE YOUR PRIVATE BRANDING +44 (0)1202 478334 uk@polyhose.com polyhose.com Angela Lawlor: “Companies’ engagement with local schools, colleges and universities is of vital importance.” value to the business. So, we work with manufacturers to show them where that value is to be found, and we can taylor a programme of engagement for them that’s not going to take up any more than about 4 to 6 hours of their time per year. In the broad scheme of things, that’s not a huge amount of time. The important thing is that any time given for engagement should be focused on starting a valuable relationship with students in the schools together with the assistance of the career leaders. Recently, I gave a talk at a trade association meeting during which I asked the members ‘how many of you have been here before?’ Quite a few had. So, I made the point that when they come here they know in advance where the front door is, where to park, some of the people who will be here, they know where the toilets are and so on. However, if you’re asked to go to a place that you’ve never been to before you’re going to feel a certain level of anxiety and not feel completely comfortable. Then, I made the point that schoolchildren and students can feel the same because they don’t know the company and they don’t know if the staff are friendly, approachable and helpful. Work experience So, if students have a choice between your company or one that regularly engages with their school, it’s faily obvious that they will choose the option they’re more comfortable with. That’s why engagement with local schools is so important. Moreover, by being a regular in the school you can build a relationship with the career leaders and the teachers. Then, if you want to offer work experience you can work with the teachers to identify students who would be the best fit for your business. Festival of British Manufacturing At Marvelous Manufacturing, we continue to develop our own engagement with companies, trade associations such as the BFPA, schools, colleges and universities. We are also working with an associate on a new initiative called Festival of British Engineering and Manufacturing (FOBEM). We hope to roll this out by early Summertime. It is planned that the first event will be held at the site of one of the UK’s larger manufacturers. We will invite schools from local areas to participate and will also welcome delegates from other companies as well as their suppliers and customers. The companies involved will be able to display and demonstrate some of the products they manufacture to local school children as well as explain a little more about the company, its history, what it does and what opportunities it could potentially offer to young people. The NEET factor Marvelous Manufacturing is also passionate about helping what are termed NEET youngsters. The term refers to those who are not in education, employment or training. I believe we’re missing out on a whole tranche of potential apprentices and workers, and we would love to do as much as we can to help them find a job they love and that would set them in good stead for a lifelong, fulfilling career with prospects for development. Indeed, we are planning to introduce a preapprenticeship training course for them later in the year. Looking forward to a continued partnership with the BFPA Working with the BFPA, we are finalising a Schools Engagement for Business resource pack to help and encourage BFPA membership to engage with local schools, colleges and universities and I look forward to supporting the launch of the resource pack throughout the year.
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