National Manufacturing Day 2025: why early inspiration matters

By the time students reach secondary school, many already rule out careers in STEM and manufacturing. On National Manufacturing Day, Clare Hodcroft, SVP People and Internal Comms, explains why early inspiration matters and how Pragmatic is making a difference. 

A thriving STEM sector is vital for economic growth, and there’s a significant demand for technical skills. Yet 49% of UK engineering and technology businesses report difficulties with recruitment because of skills shortages.1 There’s clearly no lack of opportunity for young people, but by the time students reach secondary school, many have already begun to close doors on possible career paths.  

Perceptions are formed early: pupils can be discouraged if they don’t see people like themselves in these roles, or they form an impression that STEM is “too hard” or “not creative”. Further influence from parents, teachers, friends – or even social media – can mean that STEM or manufacturing don’t make their career shortlist.  

At Pragmatic, we believe in the power of early inspiration: by showing young people what’s possible in advanced manufacturing, and to spark ambitions that last a lifetime. 

Making learning relevant 

Today, to celebrate National Manufacturing Day, we’re opening the doors of Pragmatic Park – our state-of-the-art semiconductor manufacturing facility, and the UK’s first 300mm wafer fabrication site – to local primary schools in the North East. This is where we make our semiconductor chips, which are shipped to our partners and customers all over the world. 

To give the children a feel for what we do and how we do it, they’ll be given high-vis clothing and personal protection equipment for an exclusive tour of our wafer production line. They’ll watch our automated pods move around to create the wafers, under supervision of our expert team, who will explain each stage of the process. They’ll then take part in activities to deepen their understand of what they’ve seen, from replicating the production process to building bracelets using ASCII code – the language of computers.  

Through this kind of STEM outreach activity, we connect the dots between classroom learning and real-world applications. Maths and science aren’t just abstract concepts – they’re the foundation for really exciting jobs in areas like engineering, data analysis, operations, and design.  

When young people see how their lessons in school translate into real technology, their curiosity grows and learning feels far more relevant. And manufacturing isn’t one-size-fits-all; there’s something to inspire everyone. From facilities and maintenance to quality control, supply chain, project management, and environmental health and safety, the career opportunities are wide-ranging. 

Breaking myths and sparking creativity 

By giving young people hands-on experiences early, we can help them see that manufacturing is a place for creativity, problem-solving, and innovation – not just hard hats and assembly lines. And, in fact, modern manufacturing looks nothing like the factories of the past.  

Pragmatic Park is more like a lab: bright, clean, automated, and safe. To work here means to shape the future of electronics with cutting-edge processes and advanced materials that unlock whole new worlds of possibility.  

Uniquely, our semiconductors are flexible, and their fabrication uses significantly less energy, water, and harmful chemicals than traditional silicon chips, reducing environmental impact while opening the door to a new era of smart, connected devices. It’s an exciting place to work – at the vanguard of advanced manufacturing. 

A place for everyone 

At Pragmatic, 30% of our employees are female and we represent over 50 nationalities. We actively seek talent across genders, backgrounds, and skill sets, because we believe that diversity fuels innovation and delivers more inclusive solutions. 

We also make sure opportunities are flexible and accessible at all stages of life: from apprenticeships to on-the-job certification, or post-degree joiners, there’s no single route into manufacturing. But we can’t do this alone.  

To inspire the next generation of engineers, makers, and innovators, we need strong collaboration between schools and businesses. By sparking enthusiasm early and showing how classroom learning connects to real-world opportunities, we can help young people see the exciting possibilities in science, technology, and manufacturing. Together, we can nurture curiosity, break down outdated perceptions, and open doors to careers that will build the innovations of tomorrow.