Company Name: Yamazaki Mazak / Enterprise Learning Partnership
Title: Yamazaki Mazak Enterprise Learning Partnership challenges students
Date: March 2011
On Wednesday 9 March, Yamazaki Mazak opened their factory doors to students from across Herefordshire and Worcestershire. A total of over 100 secondary school students from 10 schools across the two counties visited the factory plant in Warndon, Worcester, to gain a better understanding about business and enterprise.
The day started with an exclusive tour of the factory plant. Students were split into groups and given exclusive tours of the plant premises, allowing them to see the factory in operation and a £200,000 machine tool under construction. They were then given the chance to view the range of products that Mazak’s machine tools create, such as McLaren F1 parts, Coca-Cola bottle moulds and ship propellers. The tour ended with a visit to the Mazak solutions area, which displayed the machine tools in action, demonstrating the Mazak technological innovation behind the production of complicated machine parts.
After lunch, the students were set a surprise challenge by their hosts. Each school was given a document of information, and then issued the challenge of presenting a 2 minute pitch to a panel, which included Senior Directors of Mazak’s European production. The students were then questioned on their pitch and asked to justify their strategies. After much deliberation, the Mazak panel voted on the best team, deciding that the Kingsley College provided the best pitch.
In the student feedback, many of the students reported on a sense of pride and achievement in presenting before a distinguished panel in a room full of colleagues.
Gary Woodman, Head of Policy and Education at the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce said: “This was an excellent event, where the students and school teachers really had an opportunity to learn, understand the modern workplace and put that learning in to practical use in the afternoon.”
Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce would like to thank Jon Sanger of the Enterprise Learning Partnership for co-ordinating the event, and the Mazak staff for all their support on the day.