Strengthening our Workforce for 2024

West Yorkshire is a hotbed of manufacturing in the UK. As a region we have over 5,600 manufacturing organisations employing around 110,000 people which collectively contribute over £7bn to the local economy, this equates to 12.6% of the regions GVA. Typically, at a regional level in the UK, manufacturing contributes around 9.6%. GVA. At a national level, the UK recently became the 8^th largest manufacturing nation in the world.

A common challenge faced by manufacturers, both locally and nationally, is the availability of a skilled workforce. Developing skills for the future and attracting young people into manufacturing is more important than ever if the sector is to continue to thrive and prosper, both locally in West Yorkshire and at a national level.

From the perspective of Bensons, as a skills-based business, strengthening our workforce as we seek to grow is essential, to that end we have been active in recent months with a number of initiatives.

Leeds Manufacturing Festival (LMF)

We are proud to say that in 2024, we are an official supporter of the Leeds Manufacturing Festival, which aims to promote greater awareness of the range and depth of opportunities that careers in manufacturing can present to young people in the region. Building on a sell-out launch event on 22^nd February, Bensons will be actively involved in a range of events over the next few months to raise the profile of manufacturing to help bring the next generation on board.

I’m guessing (hoping) you have some relevant photos from the LMF launch event that could be used?

Apprenticeships

Alongside our involvement in the LMF, we are also on the look out for talent to join the business and to start their own careers within Bensons. We have three apprenticeship vacancies this year and have been active at a number of events to highlight the opportunities that a career in the control panel industry can provide, in early February we exhibited at the these include attendance at the Leeds Apprenticeship Fair, where over 11,000 young people attended to learn more about the opportunities that apprenticeships can provide.

In addition we have supported careers evenings at AMRC Training Centre, a visit to Leeds UTC to meet with interested students and we have supported school assemblies at Castleford Academy. Full details of the apprenticeships that we have to offer are on the vacancies part of our website.

Next Gen Makers Best Practise Programme

To improve the quality of our apprenticeship schemes, and to differentiate it locally, Bensons is a member of the Next Gen Makers Best Practise Programme, allowing us to

• benchmark our training programme against best in class;
• learn from best practise;
• learn from the success of peers in industry; and,
• work towards a nationally recognised kite mark for our apprenticeship scheme.

All with the aim of building talent for future success.