Skills event excites local school pupils

Mayor Jim Gartside trys the Fix Auto Pit Stop Challenge

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The Rochdale Skills Event was held in a warehouse at Heywood Distribution Park which was transformed to give borough students the chance to turn detective, save a life, change a tyre Grand Prix style, lay a floor, build a wall and much more.

About 1,500 students from 12 secondary schools across the borough attended the event throughout the day which was designed to show students the incredible range of businesses and opportunities that exist for them in the borough.

The event was organised in response to the government’s focus on bridging the skills gap, as highlighted in Lord Heseltine’s ‘No Stone Unturned’ report in which he highlighted the fact that 37% of employers said that 16 year old school leavers were poorly or very poorly prepared for the world of work.

The event was organised very much on a ‘hands-on’, interactive approach and encouraged students to roll up their sleeves and get ‘stuck in’. One teacher we spoke to said: “This is fantastic. As far as I know, no other borough is doing anything similar and it really does show what a wide variety of career opportunities there are.
Over 20 local businesses and organisations from across the business, voluntary and public sector attended and were keen to demonstrate the wide variety of career opportunities that exist.

Drawing the largest and most animated crowd was the Crime Investigation Team from Greater Manchester police who gave students the opportunity to get involved in some serious, hands-on CSI-style sleuthing.

Other hands on opportunities included a challenge to change a tyre as fast as they can, have a go at brick laying and laying a floor and sporting challenges, including hula hooping, saving a life (from the perspective of lifeguards at local sports facilities). A cleaning ‘robot’ from global cleaning company Vileda attracted a lot of attention as did a video production team from New Image (Public Relations) Ltd.

Others attending included the RMBC, Skills Team, Link4Life, Ladies Only Gym, Veena’s Restaurant, Cooney Civil Engineering, Carillion, Ryder Architecture, Fix Auto, the RAF, First Travel, Hopwood Electrical and Rochdale Development Agency.

Mayor Jim Gartside, himself a former teacher was present and clearly enjoyed chatting to students from Wardle High and Cardinal Langley.

Phil Ewbank of the Rochdale Development Agency and chairman of Commercial Contract Engineers in Rochdale was a prime mover in helping to organise the event. He told us: “Having been involved in the skills event steering group, I was delighted with the interaction between students and companies exhibiting on the day.

“There was a real buzz about the event and this was no surprise as one of our aims was to produce an event that was 'hands on' and interactive.

"Pupils need to get involved and actually question the businesses on what they actually expect from school leavers and apprentices.

“The message I hope we sent out is not everyone has to go to university. Students can actually leave school and move straight in to jobs and develop skills whilst attending college to gain the relevant accreditations within that sector of industry.

“Rochdale Skills Event captured a spirit of passion and positivity that exists within our borough and is an ideal route to finding tomorrow’s workforce and entrepreneurs within our borough.”

It is hoped that the skills event will become a regular fixture in Rochdale’s calendar.