Aldermans Welcomes Plymouth Students for National Manufacturing Day 2026

What is National Manufacturing Day?

National Manufacturing Day is an annual celebration of UK manufacturing, organised by Make UK. It falls on the last Thursday of September each year, which means National Manufacturing Day 2026 takes place on Thursday 24th September.

The idea behind the day is simple we are opening our factory doors to give students, teachers, and future makers an insight at what modern British manufacturing involves. It’s a chance to challenge outdated ideas about the industry and show just how skilled, high tech, and varied a career in engineering and manufacturing can be.

Aldermans & National Manufacturing Day 2026

Here at Aldermans, we’re proud to take part again this year.

Aldermans is one of the South West’s leading sheet metal fabricators. We’ve been in business for over 50 years, specialising in the contract manufacturing of metal parts and assemblies. From laser cutting and punching to folding, welding, painting, and assembly, our team covers the full process under one roof.

This National Manufacturing Day, we’re welcoming students and future makers to showcase exactly what we do.

What’s happening on the day

Visitors will get a genuine behind the scenes look at our factory, with a tour taking in our Toolroom, Pressbrake zone, Laser and Punch zone, and our Robotic weld cell, so they can see real components being made and the machines behind them in action.

As well as the tour, there’ll be plenty of hands on activities, including:

• A go on our Augmented Reality Welding Kit
• The chance to build your own aeroplane
• The opportunity to find out what our apprentices get up to day to day
• Guidance on the different engineering career routes available

Meet the team: Apprentice Lydia Charlton

Lydia Charlton, our current fourth year sheet metal fabricating apprentice, will be attending on the day. You can find out more about what a typical day in her role looks like in her “a day in the life” feature.

Having current apprentices like Lydia involved is one of the most valuable parts of the day as you’ll be able to hear directly from someone who was in the same position as our visitors not so long ago.

Our sessions

This is a popular day and we are oversubscribed. We have four confirmed sessions running throughout the day, and we are welcoming students, young people and adults from City College Plymouth, UTC Plymouth, Discovery College and the Job Centre Plus.

We’re delighted to welcome these groups back, having also hosted them for National Manufacturing Day in previous years.

Why we take part

National Manufacturing Day is about more than one open afternoon. It’s about giving young people in Plymouth a genuine window into the career opportunities on their doorstep, and showing that manufacturing today looks nothing like the outdated image many still picture.

For us, it’s also a chance to celebrate our own team and the skills they bring to Aldermans every day.

To find out more about National Manufacturing Day, visit nationalmanufacturingday.org.