Get the low-down on different careers in manufacturing: business improvement leader, project manager, accountant, development engineer and project design engineer.

Hi, I'm Richard Phillips. I'm a business improvement leader at CW Fletcher & Sons Ltd, a precision engineering company. We manufacture precision aerospace components in the majority, and most of the planes that you fly on will have something that we've made in them. My job involves managing a small team of placement students and business improvement students. Looking at basically solving manufacturing and engineering problems, both in the office and in the manufacturing facility. It also involves looking at new technology. I enjoy working on new projects, so areas where I have to use my brain and implement training courses for other people following the things I've done. But mostly it's the people part of it that I enjoy, and the split between office and manufacturing work. The aerospace industry in which we operate here at Fletchers is a global industry, and having a second language makes you massively employable in this industry. Things you learn when you're doing mathematics like trigonometry and Pythagoras are absolutely essential when you work in engineering. Things that I didn't think I'd be using myself, personally. Computer skills are essential, and communication skills. Life's all about dealing with different people, and in this kind of job there are a hell of a lot of people to deal with.

I'm Nicky Marriott, I work as a project manager in manufacturing and development at Smith & Nephew. The exciting thing about this is, you are working in the manufacturing industry but then it is a global company providing medical products, so you are changing people's lives really, so that's a good reason to come to work. On a personal level, it's just a challenge - you never know what's going to happen next. It could be problem solving or it could be project work, so it's just a variety of work that makes it exciting and challenging.

The types of skills you need for this job are analytical skills because you're often dealing with a lot of data and information, and trying to dig deep and find out what you need to know. A science background is very handy or engineering, especially if you're working in the production departments but as well as that probably team work and communications skills, because you're quite often involved with big teams of people from all different areas of the business. So you need to be able to communicate well with people.

At school I got nine GCSEs and then I went to college and did my A levels. Following on from that, I came to work here in the laboratories and then I moved into the technical department, and whilst I was here, I studied for my degree in project management part-time, so I was able to do that while I was working.

My name is Asmat Akram and I work as an accountant for Stanleys. Day-to-day, my job involves looking at the cost for the company. Stanleys are an absolutely huge company and we need to make Stanleys as profitable as possible. The skills that you need to do my job - you need a decent understanding of IT, a decent understanding of maths and a general understanding of how business works. The thing that I enjoy about my job is that I'm working in a dynamic environment. As an accountant you're not just a bean counter - you will meet a lot of people from a lot of backgrounds, and meeting people with different experiences and different backgrounds is what makes this job enjoyable.

My name is Mark Steeple and I'm the development engineer here at Gripple. I liaise with the manufacturers to make the new machines to get them up to speed and the quality that we need etc.

I left school and went straight into engineering. I've done it for 12 years now. I did an apprenticeship, part-time at college and I started as a basic maintenance fitter. Very hands-on, spanners, hammers, grease and everything else, like you do when you're 16 years old, and I worked my way up. I did part-time at college, got qualifications, BTECs, City and Guilds and went to two or three different companies where I developed my skills. I also progressed into the electrical side, and programming side, involving computers, and high-speed machinery. I wasn't the best at school. I didn't do brilliantly, but I saw an opportunity, and I was always good with my hands and at engineering. I pursued it and got to where I am now.

My names is James Clarke, I'm a project design engineer for S D Lighting. To do my job you need a background in product design, preferably from a degree. You also need to be able to communicate through CAD. You need to be able to use CAD packages, and also be able to draw and be able to communicate through three dimensions. I did GCSEs, then A levels, then a foundation course in art and design and then I did a degree in product design. I love my job because I'm able to work on products from concept to production, see the finished item come off the production line and see the finished product on people's homes and on buildings. It gives me great satisfaction.

Nicky Marriott
It is a really challenging job. It's not just for men, so I would encourage people to have a go. If you want an exciting career, something that you're not going to get bored with, then give it a go.