Ford Southampton Hosts A See Inside Manufacturing Tour

Secretary of State Chris Huhne MP visited Ford's Southampton plant, as part of the See Inside Manufacturing initiative, with Ford hosting more than 30 students from three local schools.

Chris Huhne said: "Ford has played a crucial part in UK manufacturing over the last 100 years and I am very pleased with the support they are providing for the new See Inside Manufacturing initiative. The UK has a promising future in manufacturing with the Government investing in more apprenticeships than ever before. Together with industry experts like Ford, we must inspire more young people to see manufacturing and engineering as a viable and exciting career choice."

Ford Southampton, responsible for producing the Ford Transit, opened its doors to students from Oak Lodge School, Crestwood College of Business and Enterprise and Scholing Technical College, who were given a tour of the manufacturing line before being encouraged to take part in a "competitive" teamwork exercise on Ford's production line simulator, giving the students an insight into what it's like to work in a modern production plant.

Thomas Fischer, Southampton plant manager, said: "We were delighted to welcome Chris Huhne to Ford Southampton this week to meet students from local schools, as part of Ford's involvement with the Department for Business' See Inside Manufacturing scheme. This is business as usual for Ford Southampton as we are already heavily involved with local community projects, inviting students to experience our modern technology and manufacturing techniques that helps ensure Ford's market leading presence in the UK."