Celebrating Bradford Manufacturing Weeks 2024

Bradford’s world class manufacturing sector was in the spotlight at the closing dinner for Bradford Manufacturing Weeks.

Sponsored by NatWest, the event celebrated the work that Bradford Manufacturing Weeks does to connect industry with schoolchildren in the city, a highly successful initiative now in its seventh year.

As the ninth largest manufacturing nation in the world employing 2.7 million people, UK manufacturing contributes 11 per cent of Gross Value Added.

The event heard from NatWest’s Principal Economist and Strategic Research Director, Stephen Blackman and its relationship director Craig Emmerson.

A spokesperson said: “The Bradford district is a hub of innovation and industry, a melting pot, taking in advanced engineering, chemical innovation, textiles, automotive components, food manufacturing, environmental services and digital technologies.

“Administered by Bradford Chamber of Commerce, working with partners for the past seven years, Bradford Manufacturing Weeks has connected over 16,000 students in the region to the manufacturing sector, helping to launch many a career in the sector.

“A sincere thankyou to many of the manufacturers in the room this evening as well, many of whom open your doors each year and welcome pupils in to find out what manufacturing is all about and to explain the wide range of roles available within your businesses, it’s not all oily rags.”

Our manufacturing sector is a formidable force, boasting 1,220 businesses that collectively employ 25,600 people. This sector alone contributed a staggering £1,540m to the Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2021. This proudly places Bradford as the 4th leading city in the UK for manufacturing employment, after London, Birmingham and Leeds.

Sponsors of BMW for 2024 were NatWest, Bradford Council, the University of Bradford, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Solenis, and Azets, all of whom have joined us to celebrate the success of Bradford Manufacturing this evening. A sincere thankyou to you all for your support and time. Many of you have worked with Bradford Manufacturing Weeks from the outset and we are hugely appreciative.

This year’s Bradford Manufacturing Weeks saw wide range of tours, completions and speaker panels, with both in and out of school activities taking place, which will continue and develop next year. Students designed their own net zero islands, and thankyou to Northern Gas and others for supporting that.

They built go-karts, heard from speakers and toured premises including: