Michelin opens its doors to students
Michelin Tyre PLC has opened the doors of its Ballymena production plant to local schools, as part of a government-backed initiative to encourage young people to take up careers in manufacturing.
Pupils from 11 Ballymena and Antrim based schools and colleges will take part in tours of the site on Tuesday 23 October and Thursday 25 October, where they will get a chance to see inside the factory and participate in interactive tasks. Students will also compete to design a product which will be judged and assessed by Michelin. The winning entry will receive a cheque from the Company to go towards school funds.
On Thursday morning, the schools will also be joined by a Member of the Local Assembly and representatives from the Ballymena Borough Council, who will be attending the workshops.
The event forms part of a government drive launched by Business Secretary Vince Cable, which encourages school children to visit manufacturing sites across the UK. The initiative, called ‘See Inside Manufacturing’ is designed to help create an additional 250,000 apprenticeships in the UK. The initiative was launched in 2011 by the UK Automotive Council and is supported by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills.
Wilton Crawford, Factory Manager at Michelin states: “We fully support the See Inside Manufacturing scheme, as we are enthusiastic about encouraging young people to develop careers in the manufacturing sector. Events such as this are key to igniting a passion for engineering in young people. They provide a first-hand way to raise awareness of the range of employment opportunities that exist within the manufacturing sector and throughout the Michelin organisation.”
Michelin is the only company in Northern Ireland to take part in the initiative. All three Michelin UK sites have supported the initiative this year, for the second year running.
For more information on Michelin, visit: www.michelin.co.uk or for more information on the See Inside Manufacturing initiative, visit: http://discuss.bis.gov.uk/seeinsidemanufacturing/