The Wake-Up Call UK Manufacturing Cannot Ignore
This week, Sir Alan Milburn’s independent review into youth unemployment laid out a sobering picture of the UK labour market:
- Youth unemployment is now over 16%.
- Nearly one million young people are not in employment, education or training.
- Many 16–24-year-olds have never had a paid job.
- Early unemployment can leave long-term “scarring” effects on earnings, confidence and opportunity.
Milburn described it as a “quiet epidemic”.
That phrase stayed with me.
I will be honest — I am not very good at publicising what our company is doing. We are usually focused on designing machinery, solving engineering problems and delivering for international customers.
But these statistics pushed me to write.
Because while policy reviews analyse the problem, employers like us are part of the solution.
And recently, we made a decision that felt modest at the time — but now feels important.
We hired two T Level engineering students.
Investing in Engineering’s Next Generation
At Mount Filling Systems Ltd, we are in a turnaround and growth phase. We are ambitious. We are moving quickly. Like many small UK manufacturers, we need more capability than we can comfortably afford.
So taking on two T Level students was not the easy decision.
It was the right one.
Manufacturing is an ageing sector. Engineering, design, mechatronics, programming, fabrication, testing — these are not theoretical disciplines. They are the foundations of the everyday products that shape our lives.
If we want British manufacturing to remain innovative and globally competitive, we must invest in the next generation.
Through their T Level studies in mechatronics and engineering, these students have developed real practical capability. When I visited the Engineering Centre at Kirklees College, I was genuinely impressed by the scale of investment and the quality of facilities.
It is a truly outstanding environment. Students coming through that programme are gaining relevant, applied technical skills.
Any employer serious about the future of engineering would be wise to at least have a conversation with them.
The Power of Partnership
When I reached out to Kirklees College, the response was immediate.
Verity Baines and Mark Cooney were exceptionally supportive and proactive. Within a short period, applications were gathered, interviews organised, and I was introduced to motivated young people actively seeking opportunity.
Their professionalism and speed of action made the process seamless for a small business like ours.
This kind of collaboration between education and industry is exactly what we need more of.
Why I Took the Risk
One of our founding employees began his career as an apprentice. Today he is a highly skilled engineer — and now a co-founder of our company.
Talent is rarely fully formed. It is developed through opportunity.
Watching his growth gave me the confidence to offer that same opportunity to others.
I do not yet know how technically strong our two T Level students will ultimately become.
But I do know this:
They have courage.
They have motivation.
They get up early.
They travel.
They show up.
In a small engineering business like ours, they will see every stage of what we do — concept design, manufacturing, international customer projects, technical problem solving and innovation.
Young minds are flexible. If they share your company’s values, they will learn what you teach them — and they will learn it well.
Author
Assim Ishaque
Director, Mount Filling Systems Ltd
Mount Filling Systems Ltd designs and manufactures bespoke liquid filling machinery for global coatings, chemical and industrial clients. The company is committed to strengthening British manufacturing capability and investing in the next generation of engineering talent.
