Pupils from Years 5 and 6 at Derwent Vale Primary School had a fascinating morning at Amcor Flexibles in Workington, where they gained a valuable insight into the manufacturing process and how packaging is produced for many of Amcor’s blue-chip clients within the snacks and confectionery markets.

Children were greeted by Laura Bowness, HR Business Partner for the company, based in Salterbeck, Workington, who organised the event. Laura gave them a health and safety introduction and overview of the company, who employ over 300 people and produce all the Walkers Crisp packets in the UK and produce and print packaging for many blue chip clients across the world. Children were given their very own PPE clothing to wear, before being given an exclusive tour of the various different departments within the manufacturing process. Children got to meet with many of the management team and employees based on site to get a better understanding of what they did and hear about local job opportunities, whilst gaining vital insights into the real world of work.

Derwent Vale Primary are involved in a pilot scheme, Primary Business Partnership, an initiative set up by OneAIM that is intended to inspire the next generation of young people by linking primary schools throughout Allerdale and Copeland with local businesses.

Ruth Graham a teacher at the school says

“The children absolutely loved their visit to the Amcor site. It was something really interesting and unusual and just not the kind of trip we’d normally go on. They enjoyed seeing somewhere quite grown up where they wouldn’t normally be allowed to go! The staff were so welcoming and great with the children. I think looking round the factory really helped the children think about how making things can be a real job when you grow up. Lots of them were inspired by the big machines and loved seeing the process of how the different packaging was made.”

Laura Bowness, HR Business Partner with the company said

” Amcor Flexibles Cumbria is keen to support local schools and when the opportunity arose to connect with Derwent Vale, we wasted no time in arranging a site visit to help with some of the topics being covered in the curriculum. The children were so excited about the visit and were on their best behaviour! They asked hundreds of questions about the process and what people did in their everyday jobs, it was a great opportunity for us to showcase what employment is available locally within the manufacturing industry. Amcor Flexibles Cumbria looks forward to growing this relationship in the future through this and similar schemes. Since the visit, we have arranged for some colleagues from our Engineering team to visit the school to support a STEM project at the request of the school. ”