We celebrated National Manufacturing Day 2025
For the first time ever, and with support from Hopwood Hall College, we celebrated NMD 2025 by hosting ten Year 10 students from our Middleton Technology High School at our Greater Manchester Head Office. The day included a factory tour, highlight engineering career opportunities, and encourage more women to enter the field.
nmd 2025
What National Manufacturing Day?
Founded in 2022 by Make UK, National Manufacturing Day is a nationwide “Open House” for the industry, held on the last Thursday of September. Its aim is to showcase the skills, careers and opportunities available across UK manufacturing.
Through the interactive pledge map, anyone can find a local manufacturer hosting an event — whether it’s a school or college visit, a public open day, or even a behind-the-scenes look for colleagues and families. Companies of all sizes can also pledge to take part and open their doors.
nmd 2025
What happened on the day?
On Thursday 25th September, R&B Switchgear Group marked National Manufacturing Day 2025 by welcoming 10 Year 10 students from Middleton Technology School for a behind-the-scenes factory tour, proudly supported by Make UK and Hopwood Hall College. With seven of the students being female, the event placed a strong emphasis on promoting women in STEM, offering the group the chance to meet apprentices, test engineers, fitters, lead engineers, and design engineers while exploring the breadth of career opportunities in the industry. The day concluded with a careers session led by Hopwood Hall College, and feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with students describing the experience as “joyful” and “fun,” with one aspiring to “return as the first female designer.” Click here to learn more about the day!
Register your interest for NMD 2026
Whether you are an individual, company, school, or college, you can now register your interest in celebrating National Manufacturing Day 2026 with R&B. As this is our first year taking part, we are limiting attendance numbers. However, based on the success of this event, we plan to expand capacity in future years to make it even bigger and better.
Kickstart your career with our Academy Programmes
R&B Switchgear Academy Programmes provide young and upcoming talent the foundation to build a trailblazing career. With a hands-on experience approach combined with personalised training and development opportunities in an exciting, future-facing industry, our apprenticeship programme is guaranteed to help you realise your full potential.