David Cameron and George Osbourne pledged to focus on manufacturing for the UK to grow its way out of recession and the “Northern Powerhouse” was a key component of this.
The service sector in the UK remains a massive component of the economy but with the weak Sterling, manufacturers are taking advantage of the export opportunities that arise.
Local manufacturer, Springfarm Architectural Mouldings (SAM), is one such company. Their growth post-recession has been such that they have now topped 200 employees and are always on the lookout for new talent.
The past 20 years have seen a major focus on tertiary education on the way into the job market, but with the rising cost of course fees, and more competition for jobs from increased numbers of graduates, university isn’t always the best option.
SAM supplies MDF mouldings to the construction and DIY sectors throughout the UK, Ireland and several European countries. The skill sets required are wide ranging, from skilled moulder and paint line operatives to stores personnel, customer services, planning and logistics, product development and engineering, as well as the traditional disciplines in finance, HR, IT, sales and marketing.
Elizabeth Burrows started working for the company in an administration role in July 2004 and is now assistant procurement manager.
It isn’t just in the office that people can progress either. Kieran McAllister started with SAM in February 2002 as a factory operative, and since then he has been employed as a logistics manager on night shift, assistant operations manager and manufacturing cell leader. He is now a weekend scheduler.
With the growing move to apprenticeships, SAM now recruits and trains school leavers on this journey to employment and takes on students through the Prince’s Trust, the youth charity that helps young people aged 13 to 30 get into jobs, education and training. Peter Adeyinka and Luke Jones both started working in SAM through a 2-week placement organised by the charity. Peter is currently working on a part-time variable role and Luke is in full-time employment. They have both worked in a number of areas through the factory and have received training at each stage. When asked what they enjoyed the most about their job, Peter said he loved working in the pick and pack department while Luke said he liked the people and work in general.