Let's talk manufacturing

Manufacturing SMEs

Leeds City Region has 7,300 manufacturing and engineering businesses, two-thirds of which are specialists in advanced processes, R&D and product development.

These businesses employ 144,000 people, representing the largest manufacturing base in the UK and generating £7 billion a year, or 12% of Leeds City Region’s economic output.

The LEP Growth Service provides advice and support to manufacturing SMEs to help identify opportunities, create plans for growth and enhance support with grant opportunities.

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Invest in Leeds City Region

Leeds City Region is best placed to address the challenges for the future of manufacturing and provides the perfect location for companies looking to grow, innovate and improve efficiency.

The EY Attractiveness Survey 2018 confirmed Leeds City Region’s strength in attracting international investment, with the wider Yorkshire and the Humber area recording the highest number of manufacturing projects in the UK.

The UK is seeing a resurgence of high-value manufacturing, and Leeds City Region has a worldwide reputation for its technical and scientific capabilities in metrology, robotics, materials and the digitalisation of manufacturing. Leeds City Region’s strength in manufacturing builds on the region’s industrial heritage and the strong links between academic research and production.

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Training the next generation of engineers

The region’s nine universities produce over 15,000 STEM graduates each year, while the LEP has also supported nearly 540 apprentices to begin their career in manufacturing. 

There has also been significant investment in facilities to train the next generation of engineers, such as the £5 million Kirklees College New Process Engineering Centre and the £11 million University Technical College in Leeds that specialises in engineering.  

Our FutureGoals careers campaign provides inspiration and support to help career starters or career changers to make better informed decisions about their career paths, give them the right skills and experience to start work or change career and provide vital links between education and employers.

Find manufacturing and engineering inspiration, case studies, top jobs, employers and FREE courses tailored for both Career Starters and Career Changers at futuregoals.co.uk.

Events

Our event planning team can work with leading industry figures and venues which harbour innovation across the sector to build an event proposition for you which capitalises on the scale and diversity of the manufacturing sector which exists in the city region.