Business leaders discuss manufacturing and engineering in Chesterfield

Historically, Chesterfield’s economy has been built on a strong reputation for manufacturing and engineering.

Famous for being the home of George Stephenson, the area has led the way in many fields since the Industrial Revolution. Examples include the wool and leather trades, not forgetting the major mining and ironworks industries in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Currently, 4,000 people in Chesterfield work in the town’s manufacturing and engineering sector. However, with 73% of businesses across the East Midlands reporting recruitment challenges, how can Chesterfield ensure it is attracting the right talent to help our businesses flourish?

In the latest Round Table, hosted by Destination Chesterfield in conjunction with the Derbyshire Times, business leaders from the town’s network of Chesterfield Champions discussed how partners are working to build a strong future pipeline of talent. We also heard how local firms are innovating to ensure the town meets its sustainability goals.

Participants

• DS - Dom Stevens – Manager, Destination Chesterfield
• AB – Alan Britland – Workshop and Service Manager, MSE Hiller
• NC – Nick Catt – Managing Director, Weightron Bilanciai
• LS – Lynda Sharp – Economic Development Manager, Chesterfield Borough Council
• IB – Ian Bates – Policy and Representation Manager, East Midlands Chamber
• DB – David Beet – Group Marketing Manager, United Cast Bar
• MV – Michael Veveris – Senior Lecturer, University of Derby
• JT - Jack Talbot - Business Executive, DCJ Group Insurance
• SP – Sara Patel – Paralegal, Banner Jones Solicitors

How much of a role does the sector have in developing a skilled workforce for the future?

LS – As part of the Council’s growth strategy and skills plan, we are always looking to support businesses by enabling them to access workers with the right skills. On top of that, we look at how best to engage residents to inform career choices and help them access training and development initiatives.

NC - Finding apprentices is quite tough. We have just taken on an electrical engineering apprentice because we do a lot of on-site work, which is all electrical wiring into our kit. We are then splitting their apprenticeship with the college to do electrical engineering alongside our qualified professionals on-site.

DB - We got our last six apprentices through our direct involvement with local schools. We're currently looking for another six and are working alongside Chesterfield College on this.

LS – Destination Chesterfield continues to do great things with Made in Chesterfield, which has provided more than 3,000 school pupils with the chance to engage in tours of our manufacturing and engineering businesses. We are starting to break down those barriers and preconceptions about what a career in manufacturing looks like.

AB - I've been in the industry for 30 years, and the centrifuge industry is quite specialised. Trying to find centrifuge engineers is a near-on impossibility. So, a few years ago, we decided to go down the route of taking on younger people. We've nurtured them right through from leaving school to higher education, so it's a good opportunity. We see younger people as the lifeblood of our company.

DB - Engineering is not a boring job. There's a lot to do, there's great career prospects for people, and we're short of engineers. I'd like to see a little more publicity for the engineering side.

NC – We have now developed our own training centre, which is fronted by one of my senior engineers. We've recently recruited three new people from different sectors and are all in their early 20s.

IB – Our last economic survey in the manufacturing sectors found that 75% of respondents were struggling to find people, and that was across the board from high level to low level. It's all about trying to pull it all together and make it simpler for businesses to put their wares in front of the right people, whether it be schools, colleges, or universities.

MV - The University of Derby offers three degrees in manufacturing and engineering, and we've got about 30-40 students coming in September from a whole range of companies. A lot of the companies we're dealing with are the bigger companies like JCB, Caterpillar, Alstom and so on. But we are also getting smaller companies involved with sending one or two apprentices on these programmes.

DB - We’re strongly encouraging young people within the area to move into the engineering sector too, because it's a massive field to get into now. There are lots of opportunities there, which we should be encouraging more. We're looking at various things like putting an additional classroom into our car park to attract more people, and we're working with Sheffield College, with a view to providing diplomas for the foundry industry.

SP – My brother tried to get an apprenticeship when he was 16 or 17, and he really struggled. Now he's 29 and has started at Warburton's. They gave him an apprenticeship and he's become an engineer. But, for a long time, he had no idea whether he would be securing a job at the end. And that kind of left him then applying for other jobs elsewhere.

MV – We work closely with Rolls Royce, and the main driver for students wanting to come on that apprenticeship is the fact that they are likely to be set up with a skilled job for life.

LS – We are proud to call Chesterfield an ‘Apprentice Town.’ It is great to see businesses coming together to challenge perceptions about how young people and their parents are making choices.

How can we highlight the broader range of careers in manufacturing and engineering, such as the impact of digital innovation?

DB – Quite a few of the apprentices we've had recently like getting dirty! It depends on the students individually; but generally, we are doing quite well with them at the moment. They're not too worried about getting stuck in. On the other side, some work in our offices too, so it’s a wide range for us.

NC - I think that there is still a stigma around blue-collar workers, and I think that there is still a stigma within the schools. We took on an apprentice straight out of school, and he has just bought a house because he’s progressed so well. However, he wasn’t offered any help from his school in finding an apprenticeship. He had to find us himself.

LS - I also think that there is still a stigma around women in manufacturing and engineering. Businesses could do more to reach out to women because there is a potential pool of talent there that hasn’t been properly tapped into.

MV - At the university, we have an annual competition called Young Engineers and Scientists of Derbyshire. This involves secondary schools competing against each other by being set an engineering challenge. We find that helpful in terms of getting the message across about engineering to those who might not otherwise consider it.

IB - Working with influencers is very important, such as teachers, careers leads, and parents. If you can show them the benefits of encouraging their young people into the sector, they’ll be able to spread the word.

LS – We look to find ambassadors from businesses in Chesterfield. The construction sector is a shining example. The whole sector is coming together to showcase its potential.

Destination Chesterfield is part funded by contributions from local businesses, Chesterfield Borough Council and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The project is helping to improve the economic prosperity of the town through a campaign to promote Chesterfield.

The local business community plays a central role in its success by both leading an independent board of Directors for Destination Chesterfield, as well as businesses pledging their support to become Chesterfield Champions.

The Destination Chesterfield Partnership has received £180,000 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. It follows a successful funding bid by Chesterfield Borough Council, to secure £2.69 million worth of funding for local projects.

For more information about becoming a Chesterfield Champion, visit: http://www.chesterfield.co.uk/destination-chesterfield/champions/sign-up/.