Michelin joins Industrial Cadets programme

Michelin is one of several north Staffordshire companies to join an initiative to give young people an insight into potential careers in industry. The scheme, entitled “Industrial Cadets”, is a response to the concerns of engineering and manufacturing companies, who say there is a skills shortage in this area, affecting the sector’s ability to expand. Initially launched in Redcar by Tata Steel and supported by the Prince of Wales, Industrial Cadets is being rolled out nationally by the Engineering Development Trust (EDT).

Michelin joins a group of companies including Dudson, McCamley UK and Seddon Property Services, alongside support from Keele University, in a local scheme called Business in the Community (BITC), which is working with Industrial Cadets in Stoke-on-Trent. The BITC project in Burslem will help 12 students in year nine from Haywood Engineering College and the Co-operative Academy the chance to undergo their Cadet training across a wide range of industries. This “shared” cadet programme is the first of its kind in the UK and throughout the eight week course students will visit the various companies’ sites. They will complete real life exercises in many manufacturing business functions, including design, marketing, production, finance, human resources, logistics and how to set up a business.

The ‘shared’ programme started on Tuesday, 22 January at Michelin’s Riverside offices, launched by the head teachers of the two schools before the students are introduced to Michelin and have a tour of the Campbell Road factory.

Elaine Le Montais, who has been seconded by Midland Heart to Business in the Community as a business connector, explains: “When we initially heard of the pilot scheme at Tata steel in Redcar, I approached a couple of our local companies to see if we could replicate the model here at Stoke. It soon became clear that some of the companies felt they could provide a more diverse experience for the students by cooperating in a ‘shared’ programme, and as far as we know this is the only scheme of its type. We are extremely fortunate here in Stoke to be running two programmes, one following the Tata Steel model at Steelite and the ‘shared’ programme with a group of companies.”

Mike Cole, community involvement manager from Michelin comments: “A career in manufacturing isn’t just about being an engineer or working on the production line; there are an abundance of exciting jobs that can provide people with a really interesting and challenging career. Programmes like this encourage young people into the sector and are key to igniting a passion for industry.  It also allows companies involved to show just how vibrant the job market is in the local area as it’s important we have young people coming into industry to ensure our businesses continue to be able to contribute to the local economy.”