Keighley College hosts highly praised Bradford Apprentices Live event

1 November, 2019 4:18 pm

As part of Bradford Manufacturing Weeks, Keighley College hosted the district’s first Bradford Apprentices Live event.
The event ran as part of an initiative which works with students across the district to promote potential future careers within manufacturing. 

Gavin Williamson, Secretary of State for Education has described the initiative as an “excellent” scheme.

Manufacturing Weeks and Apprentices Live

According to the West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, Bradford Manufacturing Weeks is a West and North Yorkshire Chamber initiative, delivered by Bradford Chamber of Commerce. 

Spanning two weeks this year, the fortnight-long campaign involved more than 60 manufacturers who linked up with schools and colleges. The initiative also included work placements, school talks and site tours for young people aged 14 to 18. Proving the success of the campaign, around 6,000 work experiences were created.

Occuring during Manufacturing Weeks, the Manufacturing Live event took place at Keighley College on 15 October. The anticipated event invited students to ask a panels of apprentices, employees and manufacturers questions to gain an insight into what a manufacturing career entails.

Keighley College makes way for the next generation of manufacturers

Keighley College offers an enterprising and collaborative environment, delivering high quality vocational education as a pathway to employment.
It is also home to the Industrial Centre of Excellence (ICE) for advanced manufacturing and engineering and its Advanced Apprenticeship Scheme is accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (iMechE), providing students with access to a range of industry support.

The Industrial Centre of Excellence provides education and training opportunities to prepare young people to progress into the growing engineering and manufacturing economy.
The fully equipped on-site workshop was launched in January 2015 and includes high-quality and industry standard Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) machinery, lathes, milling machines, 3D printers and other state-of-the-art engineering equipment to develop students’ skills.

The centre has a board of local employers who oversee the development of the centre and the courses it delivers. These employers also contribute by providing work experience opportunities and live projects to help prepare students for the world of work. In addition, employers also have the opportunity to shape the future of young learners by providing master classes, offering mentoring opportunities and providing site visits.

Keighley College provides more support to manufacturers
Keighley College will continue to support the growth of the manufacturing centre by hosting another event this year.

As part of Bradford Manufacturing Weeks 2019, the college is hosting the free Support and Funding for Manufacturers event which will offer networking opportunities and information on funding and support for manufacturers.

Covering business finance, import and export, overseas trade missions and exhibitions, manufacturing growth programme, supply chain improvements, skills, training, information on local enterprise partnership (LEP) and more. The event will also include breakfast.

Keighley College presents portfolio of professional programmes

Keighley College provides a variety of blue-collar courses across a variety of sectors including construction, engineering and manufacturing. Students can train in professional facilities and leverage local industry links to gain practical experience and industry insight.

For more information on our vocational courses and apprenticeships, click here to visit our courses page.