MORE than half of the district’s secondary schools have already signed-up to this year’s Bradford Manufacturing Weeks.

The event, which was held for the first time last year, will run between October 7 and 18.

And 29 of 45 secondary schools have so far registered to work with manufacturers in the district.

Nick Garthwaite, Bradford Chamber president and managing director of chemical firm Christeyns, is now urging more manufacturers to sign-up to ensure there are enough experiences for students.

He said: “We’ve had a phenomenal response from schools and it is so encouraging that they have the appetite to get pupils into local manufacturing environments.

“But for this initiative to work, we need to at least match the schools involved with willing manufacturers so we’re urging employers to register their interest so we at Bradford Chamber can get in touch and make these connections and experiences happen.”

The initiative is led by Bradford Chamber and delivered in partnership with Bradford-based school and career specialists Aspire-igen, with primary sponsorship from Barclays.

This year’s Bradford Manufacturing Weeks aims to create 6,000 work experiences for young people by doubling involvement from the 44 manufacturers which took part last year.

Jo Sykes, assistant headteacher at Parkside School in Cullingworth, said last year’s event inspired many of the school’s students and led to an ongoing partnership with Keighley-based GESIPA.

She said: “Not only does Bradford Manufacturing Weeks open students’ eyes into the world of manufacturing but it also opens the teachers’ eyes too.

“It helps us to relate to the world of business and manufacturing in the classroom and makes our curriculum content more relevant and connected to the outside world.

“Bradford Manufacturing Weeks is an exceptional initiative.

“We need as many local manufacturers as possible to get involved and get in front of our students.”

To be a part of this year’s event, register at bradfordmanufacturingweek.co.uk/manufacturers/get-involved.

For more information, visit bradfordmanufacturingweek.co.uk or contact the team at Bradford Chamber on 01274 206660 or bmw@wnychamber.co.uk.