Twenty year 11 engineering students from The Manor Academy, Mansfield Woodhouse, took part in the annual Engineering Employers Networking Lunch.

Organised by the Mansfield Learning Partnership, the event saw employers from engineering firms and Vision Apprentices network and inspire students about working in the engineering sector.

Along with networking opportunities, the event included talks from career champion Martin Rigley, managing director of Lindhurst Engineering, who talked about working in the engineering sector and SEMTA, the skills council for engineering, and Steff Wright who gave a case study on his company, the Gusto Group.

David Burt, an engineering student at Manor, said: “I like engineering but I also like art, after hearing Steff, it has inspired me to become an architect, combining the two subjects. I’m going to look into it”.

Career champion Martin Rigley said “As a business owner it’s always a rewarding experience when you get to meet enthusiastic young people and that’s exactly what we had today. It was great to see confident young people networking with business owners. Whilst the objective was for the students to learn from us about the opportunities in engineering and manufacturing, I personally learnt from them just how motivated they are to enter the world of work”.

Mr Marsh, engineering teacher at Manor, said: “It was great for the engineering students to be inspired by engineers who have successful engineering careers in our area”.

If you would like to know about the event or to get involved, contact the Mansfield Learning Partnership on 01623 623149 or email [email protected]