Whitemeadow holds first of many open days

Corporate member Whitemeadow hosted its first external open day, showcasing the company’s sewing and upholstery academies to local students, earlier this month.

Whitemeadow’s in-house upholstery trainer and several sewing machinist apprentices were on hand with training provider Webs to make sure all the students got some valuable hands-on experience on the day.

Kim Dellar, careers lead at Quarrydale Academy, said: “The pupils really enjoyed the visit and they were very interested in seeing how something is made from start to finish. Doing visits like this gives them the opportunity to experience the ‘world of work’ and hopefully gives them ideas about what they can do for a future career.”

Karen Clarridge, head of group HR at Whitemeadow, said: “We had a fantastic day sharing our knowledge and skills with local students, plus educating them on the apprenticeships on offer here at Whitemeadow. We all feel that it is a very worthwhile project, not only promoting the company in the local area, but showing school children in the community that there are some fantastic career opportunities right on their doorstep in the future. We hope to see some of their faces behind a sewing machine or an upholstery bench in a few years’ time!”

Local residents were also offered the opportunity to come along and find out more about career opportunities in the furniture industry. Whitemeadow works with partners such as job centres, parole services and the Armed Forces Community to provide pathways into work.