With World Youth Skills Day taking place on Sunday 15th July, we thought this was a good opportunity to ask some of our younger employees about their chosen careers in manufacturing so far.
Oil mist filters specialist Filtermist International and Dustcheck Ltd, which became part of Filtermist last year, currently employ seven people under the age of 25 in roles ranging from Aftermarket Sales Administrator, Apprentice Engineer and Mechanical Fitter, to Design Engineer, Metal Spinner, Fabricator & Sheet Metal Worker, and Junior Contracts Engineer. 
Brandon Dixon (Metal Spinner) explained his reason for choosing manufacturing is because he ‘prefers hands on work and is proud to make something that will be used in the future.’ Brandon’s passion for manufacturing runs in the family – his Dad Mark is a highly skilled metalworker who has worked at Filtermist for more than 14 years.
Charlotte Glover (Aftermarket Sales Administrator) explained that she ‘enjoys the process of working in a manufacturing business and working towards a finished product.’
The under 25s shared common ground when they explained what they enjoyed most about their current roles: variation in their work and each day being different were two recurring answers. Other comments included the ‘freedom to be creative’ and ‘seeing the start of model on design software, to reality in the workshop.’
All of the employees have gained new skills and some have achieved new qualifications or are currently working towards them since joining Filtermist and Dustcheck. Both companies strive to provide learning opportunities wherever possible which inevitably results in a more knowledgeable and experienced workforce.
Filtermist apprentices Billy Mabbott (Apprentice Engineer) and James Lloyd (Design Engineer) are both studying at the Marches Centre of Manufacturing and Technology (MCMT) in Bridgnorth. Between them, they have gained a wide range of qualifications since being employed by Filtermist including Level 2 CAD, Level 2 Welding, Crane Slinging and Level 2 Turning.
Meanwhile Dustcheck employee Nathan Thorley has successfully gained a Diploma in Engineering, plus a Level 3 qualification in Fabrication and Welding. Nathan has even won and been shortlisted for a number of awards including the ‘Engineering Apprentice of the Year Award’ presented by the Stoke-on-Trent Association of Engineers in 2017.
Finally, we asked our under 25s what their career aspirations are for the future. It was great to hear that many of them plan to continue working in the manufacturing industry and want to advance further in their current roles. ‘Progressing to a career in design engineering’ and ‘becoming a fully trained service/install engineer’ were just some of the aspirations mentioned.
We would like to wish all of our younger employees the best of luck in their chosen careers.