Amazing Accrington business leaders tour primary schools to inform and inspire

Business leaders from across Hyndburn have pledged to spend time in our local schools, to inform them of their choices as they progress through education and into the workforce, and to inspire them to follow career paths they may not have thought were available in in the local area.

This process begins in primary schools, and even at this young age they are being prepared with careers advice, and encouraged by inspiring visits from local businesses. Recently #AmazingAccrington arranged a tour of local primary schools, Hyndburn Park Primary School in Accrington, West End Primary School in Oswaldtwistle, and St Nicholas Primary School in Church.

Heath Groves, CEO of Sundown Solutions, was keen to show students at an early age that working in software development and cyber security is similar to using the gaming devices they use at home, and requires the same skills. This will help them in their future career paths and inspire them to join this rapidly growing industry.

Gareth Lindsay, managing director of North Lancs Training Group (NLTG), was on hand to show the children different ways of reaching career goals, to explain about apprenticeships and how you can train while you earn, and encourage them to think about a job they might want in the future, and the best path to reach their goal.

Ben Clements, managing director of Emerson and Renwick, completed the talks by explaining how their company is a world-class engineering company, inventing world firsts and being at the forefront of technology, all from their base in Accrington – exporting 85% of their goods all around the world. He was accompanied by Toby Walsh, who started his career at E&R as an apprentice.

Heath Groves said: “We find it really valuable speaking to children at such a young age, to encourage their digital skills and make sure they know there is a career waiting for them when they complete their studies. Our in-house training makes it ideal for us to take them on straight from school, plus we have links to NLTG and Accrington and Rossendale College, so we could see them working with us just a few short years from now!”

Gareth Lindsay added: “Choosing an apprenticeship as a career path may be a few years away for these students, but it’s important they think about it as they progress through high school, for example if they really want to be in the furniture industry. Many jobs don’t follow a traditional path of learning, so it’s great to encourage them to think about their future at a young age.”

Ben Clements commented: “We’re a local employer, doing world-class work and inventing things – for example we develop touch screen technology that’s used in iPhones. For an engineer what we do is at the top level and exciting, and we want to get some of that excitement across to young students to encourage them to take up STEM subjects, and to know who we are when the time is right!”

Murray Dawson, chair of Amazing Accrington, commented: “I’m also the Managing Director of Scott Dawson Advertising, so I was able to talk to them about branding and opportunities in the creative world. It’s a pleasure to showcase Amazing Accrington businesses to nearly 200 students today in Years 5 and 6 – it won’t be long before they’re finishing high school and looking at their future options, and we want them to be employed locally in great jobs in the future.”

#AmazingAccrington has launched a new area of their website for Opportunities, showcasing education, training, apprenticeships and opportunities. This can be found here: https://opportunities.amazingaccrington.co.uk

You can see more about Sundown Solutions here: www.sundownsolutions.com  North Lancs Training Group here: www.nltg.co.uk and Emerson and Renwick here: www.eandr.com