Made in Chesterfield announced as finalist in Derbyshire Business Awards
An initiative, which is raising the profile of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) sector careers, has been announced as a finalist in the Business and Education Partnership category at the East Midlands Chamber Derbyshire Business Awards 2019.
The Made in Chesterfield campaign brings together businesses and employers with schools and education providers to deliver hands on experience of the workplace for young people. Since its launch in 2014, the campaign, which is organised by Destination Chesterfield and Derbyshire Education Business Partnership and sponsored by the University of Derby, has resulted in over 3,000 young people from schools spending time in the area’s manufacturing and engineering businesses.
Dom Stevens, Destination Chesterfield Manager said: “The selection as a finalist at the Derbyshire Business Awards allows us to celebrate and reflect on what this partnership between the business and education sector has achieved so far. We look forward to working with our partners to drive forward Made in Chesterfield to support more businesses and inspire more young people about career opportunities in STEM areas across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.”
Chesterfield College has 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 increased from 265 in 2017 to 440 in 2018.
Ivan Fomin, Managing Director of MSE Hiller and Destination Chesterfield board member responsible for manufacturing and engineering in the borough, added: “It’s a time of huge growth and opportunity for Chesterfield and we need to make the most of opportunities such as HS2, Chesterfield Waterside and Peak Resort; it’s important that the town has the people with the right skills and experience to deliver these projects – and manufacturing and engineering feature heavily in the mix.”
“Getting more businesses from the sector on board and opening more lines of communication between businesses, education providers and schools couldn’t be more important.”
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.”
The winner of the East Midlands Chamber Derbyshire Business Awards 2019 will be announced on Friday 6 September at Derby County FC.
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/
