E3R attends YCF’s Young Persons Group

E3R attends YCF’s Young Persons Group

E3 Recruitment attended YCF’s Young Persons Group for the manufacturing industry hosted by Surfachem in Leeds, which gave young people the opportunity to form relationships with other like-minded young people working within their industry.

YCF, a manufacturing membership association for the process industries, felt that younger people are often under represented at industry networking events with some possibly being overlooked, not invited to attend events and therefore not been given the opportunity to start and develop their own network of peer contacts.

As a result of this, YCF approached its members with the idea of a Young Persons Group and it was welcomed with 18 young professionals attending the event in Leeds, for both the benefit of the company and their own career development.

The group discussed a range of important topics including how leaning and development is key to keeping young professionals in the industry. Some delegates expressed concerns regarding flat company structures, the level of experience required for promotion, or that transferrable skills are often overlooked. Professional development was highlighted as important with an exchange programme or mentoring programme deemed beneficial so that individuals can learn more about the diverse industry and see how others operate. The practical skills learnt would be very valuable not only for their own career development but for their employers too.

The opportunity to share best practice and experiences with each other, as well as develop core skills such as communicating effectively and delivering presentations were also welcomed and this group offers a safe environment to do that.

James Soden, Director and Business Partner of E3 Recruitment – the only recruitment member of the YCF network – attended the event and commented: “Young people are the lifeblood of the industry and without them the already existing skills gap will continue to widen. This group will address this gap looking at how best to attract individuals to the sector, whilst allowing the future leaders of the industry to develop and enhance their careers by strengthening their business relationships and networks.”

Attracting young people in manufacturing can seem a daunting task, but the group agreed that every high school student should have a meaningful and practical experience with real life industry. Many delegates were unaware of the manufacturing industry at school, and believe that if the awareness levels were to increase with careers advice and work experience opportunities, uptake into STEM subjects and careers would rise.

Group Chairperson, Ian Newell from Nufarm UK LTD commented: “As a group we expressed our interest in inspiring the next generation, we will visit schools to share our stories and provide practical sessions to inspire the children plus visit Universities to give advice or mentor students who are interested in a career in science and industry. We can’t wait”.

Group organiser, Lisa Buck from YCF concluded: “It really was an inspiring meeting and we are looking forward to working with the members of the group and seeing what exciting projects and events we create. Everyone was enthusiastic, and it was fantastic to hear their ideas and thoughts on how the group should operate in the future.”

To get involved with the group, please contact Lisa Buck at YCF: lisa@ycf.org.uk / www.ycf.org.uk

6th December 2017

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