Destination Chesterfield

Tours For Schools

Tours for schools are back again this October, starting on the 25th September. Made in Chesterfield visits are designed to inspire small groups of students from Years 6-13. Your students can enjoy exciting, interactive and insightful tours to local companies in the manufacturing, engineering, property and construction sectors.

The tours for schools element of Made in Chesterfield is coordinated by Direct Education Business Partnership. If you are interested in a tour or would like more information, then you can visit the Made in Chesterfield website.

New for 2025, we are proud to support a collaboration between DEBP, CBE+, and Workwise for National Manufacturing Day (NMD25). Another amazing opportunity for local young people to see the outstanding manufacturing companies that are on their doorstep.

Thank you for the support of all the businesses that offer tours for schools and support Made in Chesterfield.

United Cast Bar

United Cast Bar is the home of Unibar continuous cast iron, produced in two of Europe’s most prestigious foundries and distributed through the United Cast Bar distribution network.

The United Cast Bar Group of companies employs over 250 people worldwide, with representation in over 20 countries. A further manufacturing facility in Zaragoza, Spain, make United Cast Bar Ltd the world’s leading and most successful manufacturer and supplier of continuously cast iron.

The purpose of this visit is to showcase the work that UCB carries out and to inspire the next generation to consider a career within the industry.

UCB are incredibly proud to promote growth from the local area, and this visit will allow students to see the workings of the foundry.

MSE Hiller

MSE Hiller is a UK leader in the supply, installation and rental of centrifuges and sludge dewatering equipment. They work in partnership with leading industry names to minimize costs, reduce environmental impact, and maximize efficiency for our customers.

MSE Hiller are very keen on engaging the next generation and to inspire young people to learn more about not only their company, but the engineering sector as a whole.

The tour will inspire visitors during a 90-120-minute visit to the site, showcasing all aspects of the work carried out.

This visit is for students year 10+ and allows for 6-8 students.

FASTSIGNS

FASTSIGNS, founded in 1985 , creates custom signage and graphics for companies. The Sheffield centre has been at the heart of the FASTSIGNS franchise for close to 30 years, and when Martin Slater saw the Sheffield Centre come up for sale, he jumped at the chance of ownership.

Martin brings a wealth of skills such as operations delivery, people management, marketing and relationship building which put him in a great position to step into the FASTSIGNS Sheffield centre and take it forwards. Before taking on the ownership of the centre in early April 2024, Martin attended FASTSIGNS intensive training course in Dallas, Texas where he learned about signage as well as FASTSIGNS operating processes and procedures.

Learn all about the business in the 2 hour site visit, for 6 students from year 7+.

Weightron Bilanciai

Weightron Bilanciai is one of Europe’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of weighbridges, together with accompanying software solutions and bespoke weighbridge systems individually tailored to your specific requirements.

The business plays a pivotal role in everyday life – but possibly a company people haven’t heard of… They have been designing legal-for-trade weighbridges and industrial weighing equipment for over 40 years. As part of the renowned international Bilanciai Group, they have access to unrivalled industrial weighing solutions & technology, unique software solutions and ground-breaking engineering expertise.

The visit allows a deep dive into the company’s operations and the different roles that the company has, giving students the chance to consider a career path at a great company.

The visit is for students year 8+ and allows up to 10 students.

Penny Hydraulics

Penny Hydraulics are an award-winning UK design and manufacturer of lifting equipment. They have purpose built premises housing a manufacturing and assembly plant. Some of the products designed and manufactured include goods lifts, winch systems, van cranes, davits and tyre presses. Their products include the Cellar Lift drinks delivery hoists and Mezz Lift, mezzanine floor lift range.

The company partners with industry-leading professional and trade organizations. Major vehicle manufacturers have also approved them as commercial vehicle converters. These include Renault, Nissan and Volkswagen. Additionally, commercial vehicle body builders worldwide from USA to Australia and Hungary to Benelux choose to partner with Penny Hydraulics.

Want to take part in various activities to learn about design, manufacturing, quality control, aftersales support and nationwide service operation? Then this a tour for you. We hope that your tour of Penny Hydraulics will inspire you to find out more about the various careers within the Manufacturing and Engineering sector.

The visit is approximately 1 hour in length and open to all students year 9+.

Superior Wellness

Superior Wellness is Europe’s largest hot tub distributor and an innovative manufacturer, importing from several countries so that they can offer the widest choice of hot tubs, swim spas, chill tubs and other related products to their customers.

From their base in Chesterfield, they work with over 100 partners across the UK and Europe serving thousands of customers worldwide.

The visit will begin with an introduction and a Health and Safety briefing. Afterwards, you will tour the site, including the warehouse and new showroom. You will also have chance to meet the various teams along the way. This will include apprentices, the international sales team, the marketing team, HR and many more! Students will have opportunities to ask any questions that they have regarding the business and careers.

This visit is for students in years 7-13 and and allows up to 12 students.

Aztec Oils

Aztec Oils have been a market leader in oil manufacture and distribution for over 25 years.

Based in the industrial heart of Derbyshire, our thriving and ever-expanding manufacturing plant and offices carry a wide range of stock available on-site and a dynamic sales team who will deal with any further requests to ensure you receive optimum customer service.

Their on-site chemists and laboratory team are constantly researching new developments in the lubricant industry to maintain the Aztec standard and remain at the forefront of new technology. 

Made in Chesterfield is coordinated by Destination Chesterfield and Direct Education Business Partnership and delivered in association with the Chesterfield College Group and with support from Chesterfield Borough Council, Derbyshire North Careers Hub, MSE Hiller, United Cast Bar Ltd, and Natwest.