St Leonards: Factories tell of struggle to recruit young workers

The owners of factories such as Marshall Tufflex say they are struggling to find new workers

Factory owners in East Sussex have spoken of the difficulties they are facing in recruiting workers.

The businesses, in St Leonards-on-Sea, said there was a lack of interest among the young in manufacturing as a career.

Operations director at cable management factory Marshall-Tufflex, Jean Carlos Dias, said young people "don't know what manufacturing is".

Meanwhile, trade body Make UK said unfilled vacancies were costing the UK economy billions of pounds each year.

Mr Dias said Marshall Tufflex was having to fill the gap with workers from abroad, but was also focussing on schools to find the next workforce generation.

Jean Carlos Diaz said his firm was looking to schools to find the next generation of manufacturing workers

"It's very difficult to recruit young people here," said Mr Dias, operations director at cable management factory Marshall-Tufflex. "They don't know what manufacturing is."

Val Chandler, assembly manager at neighbouring factory Focus SB, which makes electrical accessories, said: "We need to bring on the younger generation, to bring up the next phase.

"Everything moves at such a fast pace these days. The machines are phenomenal."

Val Chandler says younger people should consider manufacturing as a career

Anni Sanders, 20, has completed an apprenticeship with the company, which has included learning to drive a forklift truck.

She said: "I do surprise people, because they don't expect me to be able to do it. I find their reactions funny."

Anni Sanders' apprenticeship included learning how to drive a forklift truck

Jamie Cater, senior policy manager at Make UK, which represents manufacturers, said: "We know that unfilled vacancies in UK manufacturing are costing the UK as a whole around £6.5bn per year in lost output.

"There is an urgency in getting young people into the sector."

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