Emily Smith manufactures experience

Emily Smith with her grandfather Alan Fox at TBA Textiles

Emily Smith, 15, has experienced the world of work thanks to a new partnership between Hopwood Hall College and Middleton Technology School.

Emily, who is from Middleton, is currently studying for a BTEC in engineering at the school and was keen to find out more about the science, technology, engineering and manufacturing industries. Delighted to support her, Hopwood Hall College stepped in to help her do just that.

When deciding where Emily would like to carry out her work experience, the choice was very easy for her. Emily’s grandfather has been in manufacturing for over 40 years, and is works manager at textile firm TBA Textiles in Rochdale. It was agreed this would make the perfect work experience location.

Emily’s grandfather, Alan Fox, was delighted to welcome his granddaughter to the company. The firm has been manufacturing high performance, industrial textiles for over 120 years so is perfectly suited to be able to teach Emily all about the industry. Alan said: “I was pleased when Emily asked to do her work placement with the company. At TBA we are always happy to provide work experience placements whenever possible because it gives young people the opportunity to gain an insight into the working world.”

Importantly it also offers an opportunity for young people to see what the manufacturing industry is all about. As Alan points out there are opportunities for those wishing to get into the industry: “Whilst manufacturing in the UK was in decline, more recently we’re getting a larger share of the global market and order books are buoyant. As a nation we need manufacturing in the UK to be a source of employment and things are certainly looking up. Our industry has a lot to offer young people.”

During her work experience with the company Emily spent time in a number of TBA Textile departments learning the different skills necessary. As part of this she got to help with production and quality testing which involved setting fire to samples of material under controlled conditions to ensure it meets with quality standards.

Emily said: “I’ve learnt so much from this work experience placement and it’s helped me think about my career choices. I’m now keen to have a career in the science, technology, engineering and manufacturing industries and to follow in my granddads footsteps.”

Bev Harmstone Work Experience Co-ordinator at Training @ Hopwood, the employer engagement arm of Hopwood Hall College, commented: “We’re delighted to be able to help young people like Emily experience the world of work. Work placements provide an opportunity to try out different jobs and get a greater understanding of what an industry entails. We’re looking forward to working with many other pupils at Middleton Technology School in the future.”