Holiday homes manufacturer Willerby welcomed sixth-form students to experience a behind-the-scenes tour of its production facilities in Hull for an inspiring Celebration of Manufacturing.
Students from Wyke Sixth Form College in the city had the chance to see inside the site where Willerby manufactures holiday homes and lodges for parks across the UK.
The group toured Willerby’s production operations, seeing first-hand the breadth of career opportunities available in manufacturing, before taking part in an innovation-led challenge.
The event formed part of the region’s Celebration of Manufacturing showcase, with businesses across the Humber area opening their doors to inspire the workforce of the future.
As well as being one of the UK’s leading holiday home manufacturers, Willerby is one of Hull’s largest employers and a key player in a manufacturing sector which employs 21,000 people in the city.
Susan Pender, Willerby’s Director of People, said: “It’s so important that young people are aware, and have knowledge of, the range of careers available to them in manufacturing, many of which may be right on their doorsteps with businesses such as ourselves.
“That’s why events like the Celebration of Manufacturing are so vital. Students need to see, first-hand, what is out there for them, and there’s no better way of doing that than by showing them exactly what we do at Willerby, and what a job with us looks like.
“It was a pleasure to welcome the students from Wyke Sixth Form College. The questions they asked, and their enthusiasm, demonstrated that these events provide real value. We hope we’ve inspired some of them to consider careers in manufacturing!”
The students were led on tours of the Willerby site by Product Design Manager Rob Pryde and Process Engineer Trevor Baxter.
They were taken through the entire production process, seeing how Willerby’s holiday homes progress from a steel chassis base to the finished product.
They learned about the installation of external and internal walls and insulation, and the cladding options that define the exterior aesthetic of the homes.
Students were then shown the later stages of production, where windows and doors are fitted, and the internal fit-out, including kitchens, bathrooms and soft furnishings, is carried out, before the final quality control stage.
Trevor Baxter, who led one of the student tours, said: “One of my favourite parts of the job is getting to show people around our production operations, so they can see up close each stage of manufacturing a holiday home.
“We had some great questions from the students, and I think a lot of them were blown away by the size and scale of our operations. A few of them commented that they didn’t expect the factories to be so big, and also just how many different roles there are here.”
After their tour, students worked in teams on an innovation challenge, which gave them two choices of task – to design a product display for a trade show, or devise a recruitment campaign to attract young people to pursue a career at Willerby.
The teams then joined fellow students from other schools and colleges across the region for an afternoon session at the Aura Innovation Centre in Hessle, East Yorkshire, where they presented their work to businesses involved in the day.
Wyke Sixth Form College student Jacob Laud said: “I found the tour really informative, and I didn’t expect the site and the production operation to be as large and as busy as it is.
“My dad has worked at Willerby in the past, so I knew a bit about the company, but seeing it today was really impressive. I’m interested in a career in manufacturing, so seeing the number of different areas and the stages of production was good for me.”
Laura Rigau-Roca, Head of Applied Science at Wyke Sixth Form College, said: “It’s so important that our students get to experience the real careers and jobs that are available to them, to help them make informed decisions on what they want to do in the future.
“We’re seeing increasing numbers of students pursuing STEM-based subjects, and also students who progress on to apprenticeships where they combine work and education, so hopefully this visit has shown the group the breadth of careers that are out there for them.”
The Celebration of Manufacturing event is led by The Work-wise Foundation, an employer-led charity which supports young people through training, practical guidance and industry links to secure rewarding employment.
For Willerby, it was an opportunity to extend the manufacturer’s ongoing commitment to skills and careers engagement. In another example of this, in June Willerby welcomed students from Lift Green Way Primary School in Hull for a day of activities inspired by work roles at Willerby.