A host of top employers from engineering and construction sectors descended on Wigan & Leigh College’s Festival of Engineering & Construction on February 10th.
Taking place during National Apprenticeship Week, this was the third instalment of the bespoke event, aimed at attracting school pupils and current 16-18 students to find out more about apprenticeships and work opportunities within the sectors.
Engineering employers such as Sellafield Ltd, Electricity North West, MBDA and Severfield were on hand to offer information about their apprenticeship programmes and advice about career pathways within the industry.
From the construction sector, Persimmon Homes, Balfour Beatty and Northstone were among a wide range of well-known employers in attendance. As were Willmott Dixon, who were chosen by the Department for Education to deliver a new £48.8m net carbon zero in operation campus redevelopment for the college.
Nici Miller, Regional Apprentice Manager at Persimmon Homes said:
"Seeing the local youth and their enthusiasm for apprenticeships and wanting to know what's available has been really eye opening for me because a lot of young people get a bad press with not wanting to work and not wanting to learn about opportunities but it's been really good.
“They've all been really engaged tonight so it's been great and hopefully we've found some apprentices for the future."
Director of the Greater Manchester Institute of Technology, Claire Foreman added: “This was a brilliant event with so many employers there talking about apprenticeships and other work opportunities to existing and aspiring students and their families.
“It’s testament to the fantastic relationship the college has built with their employer network and a real win-win result. Greater Manchester Institute of Technology was delighted to see our lead college model this close to industry way of working so effectively.”
Throughout the night visitors could also witness student skills competitions and technical demonstrations while getting a closer look at the multi-million pound industry standard facilities at the Centre for Excellence in Engineering & Construction.
