Education and business sectors join forces to launch 12-month Made in Chesterfield campaign
A year-long campaign, which is sponsored by University of Derby, has been launched in Chesterfield to get more young people interested in careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).
Established in 2014, Made in Chesterfield has traditionally been a month-long festival held during November. To mark its fifth year, the campaign has now been aligned with the National Curriculum and will run throughout the next 12 months.
Organised by Destination Chesterfield and Derbyshire Education Business Partnership, the Made in Chesterfield campaign brings together businesses and employers in the sector with schools and education providers.
This year, the campaign is supported by key employers in the local STEM sector, including Chesterfield Police, MSE Hiller, United Cast Bar, Kingfield Electronics, Aztec Oils, Penny Hydraulics and Trans-Tronic, who are all opening their doors to teachers and pupils who are keen to know more about careers and jobs on offer.
Since establishing Made in Chesterfield, the campaign has resulted in over 2,500 young people from schools spending time in the area’s manufacturing and engineering businesses. School visits to businesses operating within the STEM sector are being organised by Derbyshire Education Business Partnership.
Chesterfield College has also credited the initiative with helping to make a difference to the awareness of careers linked to STEM subjects. The number of students studying STEM subjects at the College has increased from 265 last year to 440 in 2018.
Launched at Barrow Hill Roundhouse, the move to a 12-month campaign follows news that Spanish train manufacturer Talgo is considering investing in a £9 million innovation centre at Barrow Hill Roundhouse.
Speaking at the launch Dr Peter Dewhurst, Commercial Director, University of Derby, said: “Since opening the University’s Campus at St Helena’s in October 2016, the University has worked hard to support the town with us enrolling over 400 new learners and engaging with 12 local businesses to deliver Knowledge Transfer Partnerships. However, we are keen to do more to support the community and local businesses in achieving their potential and one way we are looking to achieve this is through our support for the Made in Chesterfield campaign.”
Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield commented: “Talgo’s recent interest in Chesterfield has further put the spotlight on the town’s engineering and manufacturing sector. Our central location, engineering heritage and knowledge base makes us particularly attractive to companies operating within the STEM sector.”
“It’s a very exciting time for Chesterfield. We have the core ingredients to make the area a national hub of excellence for manufacturing and engineering. Initiatives like Made in Chesterfield which bring together education and business are so important in helping the town attract further investment to increase both job numbers and opportunities for everyone.”
Clare Talati, Director of Derbyshire Education Business Partnership said: “We have seen this initiative grow each year and we actively encourage all schools to get involved; bringing the world of work to life for learners is at the core of what we aim to deliver and the commitment made by local businesses is fantastic and not to be missed.”
In addition to the University of Derby, Made in Chesterfield is also run in partnership with MSE Hiller, United Cast Bar Ltd, NatWest and Placing Futures.
To find out more about Made in Chesterfield and how you can get involved, please visit: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/made/.
