Michelin’s manufacturing facility in Ballymena will play host to local school pupils this week as it aims to encourage young people into future engineering careers.
When it opens its doors on 22 and 24 October, pupils from 11 schools in Ballymena and Antrim will have the chance to discover the production processes at the tyre manufacturer’s Northern Ireland plant, which employs around 1,000 people to produce tyres for buses and trucks.
The students will be given an exclusive tour of the factory by Michelin engineers, before taking part in a competition to design an innovative product. Company experts will judge the entries, with the winner receiving a cheque to put towards school funds.
John Milsted, Factory Manager, Michelin, said, “If Northern Ireland is to thrive, it needs to promote jobs in the manufacturing sector and the See Inside Manufacturing event is one way of doing this.
“The image of manufacturing is changing for the better, but there are still many young people who don’t appreciate the variety, challenges and rewards offered by companies like Michelin.
“Events like this are really important in helping to nurture Ballymena’s next generation of engineers. Showing young people first-hand what is involved in the manufacturing process can help ignite a passion that can lead to a long-term and rewarding career.”
Michelin’s other UK facilities in Dundee and Stoke-on-Trent are also taking part in this year’s See Inside Manufacturing initiative. For more information on all the automotive sector events being run throughout October, click here.
