Schools urged to get involved with Made in Chesterfield 2022

Schools and training providers can now book free workplace tours, with engineering, manufacturing, property, and construction businesses as part of Made in Chesterfield 2022.

The annual campaign, which is coordinated by Destination Chesterfield is taking place between 7 November – 2 December later this year. It is designed to expose pupils to the vast array of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) careers available in businesses across the town. The visits can also support schools in their efforts to achieve the Gatsby Benchmarks.

Open to Year 6 – 13 students, a diverse line-up of businesses have already signed up to deliver tours of their sites, including United Cast Bar, MSE Hiller, Penny Hydraulics, Aztec Oils, SCR, Superior Wellness and Trans-Tronic.

Praising the workplace tours, Nick McGowan, Assistant Headteacher at Whittington Green School, which visited Woodhead Construction as part of Made in Chesterfield 2021, said: “We’ve been teaching construction in the school for the last 15 years and one thing we have always struggled with is access to site, so the visit was absolutely brilliant. It opened the students’ horizons to the jobs and opportunities within the construction sector.”

Mark Lord, Managing Director of Aztec Oils, which has been involved in the Made in Chesterfield campaign for several years added: “We fully support the Made in Chesterfield initiative, helping young people develop skills and interests to broaden their career opportunities. We gladly facilitate school visits for those interested in chemistry and manufacturing, giving insight into process, the varying job roles and the key skills required for each.

“We’ve had great engagement from students so far who seem interested and genuinely inspired by what they see at Aztec Oils. I personally think it’s an important scheme and I know it would have been of great value to me when I was at school”

Carol Claydon, Head of HR at Superior Wellness also commented on their involvement with the campaign: “We are delighted to be involved, once again, with the workplace tours organised as part of Made in Chesterfield. The campaign is a fantastic way to inspire the next generation and hopefully showcase the different sectors and opportunities that are available within the local area.”

All Made in Chesterfield school visits are organised by Direct Education Business Partnership, an organisation which specialises in supporting the aspirational decision making of young people to shape their future helping them to fulfil their potential.

As well as the workplace tours, during Made in Chesterfield schools can access a range of careers videos and tours of Chesterfield businesses to allow young people to experience the tours, activities and careers information they would receive in person, virtually. Alongside this, young people can access the MyFuture Virtual Careers Exhibition, where they can meet local employers, learn about exciting employment opportunities and much more.

Already, Made in Chesterfield school visits and activities have introduced more than 3500 pupils to careers in the sector since the campaign was launched in 2015. Chesterfield College has also reported an increase in the number of students getting involved in STEM related subjects.

Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield commented: “These Made in Chesterfield tours provide a fantastic opportunity for both students and teachers to learn about potential careers at local businesses. Inspiring the next generation of workers and helping them to understand employability skills is crucial to ensure the town continues to grow and thrive.”

Julie Richards, Principal and CEO of Chesterfield College Group which sponsors the campaign said: “Our commitment to the next generation of local workforce is to inspire them and equip them with the skills and experience that sets them up for a successful career in industry. A large part of that relies on the involvement of local employers to provide vital opportunities such as industry placements, work experience, site visits, guest lectures and apprenticeships to help a young person experience an industry.”

In addition to the Chesterfield College Group, Made in Chesterfield is supported by Chesterfield Borough Council, Derbyshire North Careers Hub, MSE Hiller, United Cast Bar Ltd and NatWest. The organisation of Made in Chesterfield is financially supported by the D2N2 Derbyshire North Careers Hub as part of their regional Open Doors programme.

Schools wishing to arrange a workplace visit should contact Direct Education Business Partnership on 01246 212535 or email madeinchesterfieldvisits@debp.org. Or, if you’re a local manufacturing, engineering, property or construction business that would like to find out more about Made in Chesterfield, please visit here and register for a drop-in session organised by Destination Chesterfield: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/made-in-chesterfield-business-drop-in-session-tickets-366705314467