When Angela Lawlor looked at the UK manufacturing sector, she saw a gap. Schools had no idea how to introduce modern manufacturing into the minds of their young people, and manufacturers had no time to go and explain it. The result was a generation of potential engineers, technicians, designers and more, slipping through the gap. So she built a bridge. And alongside a host of other organisations, we were glad to help.

Angela is the founder of Marvellous Manufacturing, and earlier this year she organised the West Midlands Manufacturing Festival – a live event bringing together local students and local manufacturers. This concept stems from her previous work, partnering manufacturers with local schools, forging connections and organising visits. The festival was effectively this very same idea, scaled up.

“Schools don’t know anything about manufacturing and engineering.” she says. “And when I talked to manufacturers, they’d say, ‘We don’t have time to go into schools.’ Most of them are SMEs – small, family-run businesses, already doing three or four jobs at once. Going into schools was a big no-no.” The festival solves that problem by building the bridge.

Making it happen

Finding a venue, sponsors, and exhibitors came together relatively smoothly. The real problem was transport. For many schools, the cost of getting students to an event is the difference between attending and not – and Angela had already promised every participating school a coach.

So she put out an appeal on LinkedIn, and the response floored her. Within days, 700 coach seats had been covered by donors – some paying for a full coach, others for a single seat. “I was just gobsmacked,” she says. “Individuals were asking if they could pay for one seat, and I said ‘yeah, of course!’ Because everybody brought value. Everybody gave at least one child the opportunity to come.”

We were proud to sponsor half a coach. A small contribution, but one that put real students in real seats on the day.

An interactive experience

Equally determined that the day itself would leave a mark, her message to exhibitors was direct: “If you’re going to turn up with a pop-up banner and a few leaflets, please don’t bother coming.”

What she wanted were interactive stands that the children could actually touch, operate and ask questions about. Between virtual welders, hand tools, and live demonstrations, there were plenty of things to spark curiosity and give the students an understanding of the industry and jobs available.

It worked. In the weeks after the festival, one exhibitor received an email from an attending student saying the day had cemented his plans for the future. He asked for advice on how to enter the industry after his studies, so the exhibitor arranged follow-up meetings and connected him with others who could help.

“This is exactly what we wanted,” Angela says. “For the manufacturers who are struggling, who are asking ‘where is my future workforce coming from?’… This is where they’re coming from. This is how you make those connections.”

Who the festival is really for

The festival targets students in years 9 and 11 – pivotal moments when young people are choosing subjects or preparing to move into further education. But beyond timing, Angela was equally focused on diversity.

“Diversity is incredibly important to me,” she says. “What I wanted more than anything was for students to walk into that room and see people who look like them and think ‘yeah, there’s a place here for me.’”

Sponsorship made that equal opportunity possible. Transport funding meant students who couldn’t otherwise have attended were in the room. A deliberate mix of schools, exhibitors, and backgrounds meant the day challenged the stereotypes many young people hold about who manufacturing is for. This is exactly the kind of initiative Cortha believes in.

What’s next?

The festival was so well-received that requests have come in from across the country. Angela is already planning the next one, and we’re already looking forward to being a part of it. So keep your eyes peeled for a Manufacturing Festival near you!

But her ambitions stretch further. Angela is increasingly focused on the UK’s one million NEET young people (those not in employment, education or training) and is exploring whether a group of manufacturers could collaborate to create a dedicated training course, complete with work placements and direct routes into employment.

“We’ve got incredibly intelligent young people out there who aren’t academic,” she says. “And we need them in our industry.”

It’s a challenge the whole sector needs to take seriously. Events like this one – and the people and businesses willing to get behind them – are where the answer starts. If you’re a manufacturer wondering whether it’s worth getting involved, either as an exhibitor or a sponsor, consider this: you’ll be shaping the future of our industry, and opening up opportunities for more talented young people to be a part of it.