Leeds Manufacturing Festival 2026 Launch Event Highlights
The Launch Event
The official launch of this year’s Leeds Manufacturing Festival took place on Wednesday 11th March 2026 at the Leeds City College Printworks Campus, bringing together manufacturers, educators and industry leaders from across the region.
As a long standing supporter of the festival, E3 Recruitment has proudly supported the initiative for the past five years, helping champion manufacturing careers and strengthen the link between industry and education.
Representing E3 Recruitment at the launch were Andrew Pilling (Director/Business Owner), Megan Hepworth (Marketing Executive), Callum Good (Principal Consultant) and Stephanie Plazzi (Marketing Manager), alongside a wide range of businesses committed to supporting the future of the sector.
Opening remarks highlight the power of collaboration
The event was expertly compared by Mark Casci, Head of Policy and Representation at West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, who set a lively and engaging tone for the morning.
Opened by Ben Wilson, Managing Director of MPM Group, who delivered an inspiring and light hearted introduction to the festival and its wider mission to champion manufacturing across the region.
His opening remarks highlighted his positive experience with hiring apprentices as well as the importance of collaboration between employers, educators and industry organisations to ensure the sector continues to attract and develop the talent it needs for the future.
Industry Insights and the outlook for manufacturing
The speaker programme continued with Carl Hedley, Client Manager from Howarths Foundation, who shared his journey from homelessness to working at the charity and discussed the role organisations can play in supporting individuals back into employment.
Next, Daniel Paterson, Director of Policy and Government Affairs from Make UK, shared insights into the UK’s industrial strategy and the outlook for the manufacturing sector.
Developing the next generation of talent
Elisa Henderson, Early Careers Coordinator from RSE followed with a strong focus on early careers and talent development. She discussed how they develop career pathways and highlighted their in house mentoring programmes, which allow experienced employees to pass valuable knowledge and skills on to the next generation entering the sector.
The final speaker of the morning was Hannah Wilson, Principal at UTC Leeds, who emphasised the importance of employer engagement with education. She spoke about the value of businesses opening their doors to support T Level placements and provide students with meaningful industry experience before entering the workforce.
Industry Panel
The morning wrapped up with an engaging industry panel discussion featuring:
- Ben Wilson, Managing Director – MPM Group
- Matthew Kay, Head of Design and Marketing – Greyhound Box
- Kshamya Mittal, IT Data Analyst Apprentice – Schneider Electric
- Matthew Sadler, Student – UTC Leeds
- Ingrid Law, Head of HR – Brandon Medical
- Andrew Pilling, Director/Business Owner – E3 Recruitment
Panellists shared their perspectives on key challenges currently facing the sector, including skills shortages, AI implementation, attracting young people into manufacturing careers and strengthening collaboration between employers and education providers.
Championing the future of manufacturing
By bringing together employers, educators and industry leaders, the Leeds Manufacturing Festival continues to play an important role in showcasing the diversity of opportunities within the sector while helping address the long term skills challenges facing UK manufacturing.
Events like the launch demonstrate the power of collaboration across the manufacturing community and highlight the collective effort being made to inspire the next generation of engineers, technicians and manufacturing professionals.
Get Involved
The Leeds Manufacturing Festival continues throughout the year, offering opportunities for employers, educators and students to get involved and showcase the exciting careers available in manufacturing.
The next event is the Manufacturing Careers Showcase on Wednesday 25th March at Leeds City College Printworks Campus. This is a great chance to meet local students and share career pathways and opportunities.
To get involved and register for this event or upcoming events, visit Leeds Manufacturing Festival Events
