{"id":20668,"date":"2026-02-27T11:01:33","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T11:01:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/20668\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T11:01:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T11:01:33","slug":"nestle-research-shows-that-britains-518bn-manufacturing-sector-invisible-to-tiktok-generation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/20668\/","title":{"rendered":"Nestl\u00e9 research shows that Britain\u2019s \u00a3518bn manufacturing sector invisible to TikTok generation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite the manufacturing sector contributing \u00a3518bn to the UK\u2019s economy and supporting over seven million jobs, Britain\u2019s manufacturing sector faces a visibility challenge that has the potential to become a future talent problem, according to new research commissioned by Nestl\u00e9<\/a>, which supports over 42,000 jobs across the UK economy.<\/p>\n

The study of 2,000 young people, aged 16-24 years-old, found that just 28% believe manufacturing still happens in the UK, but most people rarely see or hear about it, while three in ten think most production has moved overseas entirely.<\/p>\n

Nearly a third (33%) of young people turn to social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram for career inspiration, making it the single biggest influence on their future plans. A fifth of young people (22%) say their career choices are influenced by TV shows like Mad Men, the advertising period drama, and Industry, the TV show about investment banking.<\/p>\n

When it comes to choosing a career path, while three in five (59%) young people find manufacturing careers interesting, and one in five (21%) see it as important, fewer than 1 in 20 (4%) would actually pursue one. The research found that a career in manufacturing fails to make the top ten career choices altogether, with young people more than twice as likely to choose engineering instead (9% vs 4%), despite high quality and digitally led roles being widely available in the sector.<\/p>\n

Looking at the most popular career choices, a job in healthcare (20%), creative industries (16%) and education (15%) top the wish list. Young people rank manufacturing workers as less impactful on everyday life than engineers, scientists or even social media creators.<\/p>\n

The research from Nestl\u00e9 also shows the barrier isn\u2019t skills \u2013 85% of young people express confidence in problem-solving and teamwork, while 83% rate themselves highly in creativity. But with only 35% associating the word \u2018creative\u2019 with manufacturing jobs today, and under half (48%) connecting these roles with problem-solving, the findings reveal a direct mismatch between today\u2019s reality and past assumptions.<\/p>\n

The research shows exposure changes everything. Nearly half (48%) say they would be more interested if they saw real-life examples of modern factories in action, while the same number would reconsider if they understood the impact these jobs have on everyday life.<\/p>\n

Richard Watson, CEO of Nestl\u00e9 UK & Ireland, said: \u201cYoung people today are confident, creative problem solvers and full of potential. They have the skills that modern manufacturing needs, but there\u2019s a perception gap we need to close.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom apprenticeships to graduate programmes and roles across design, innovation, technology and operations, these careers don\u2019t require everyone to follow the same route. At a time when job opportunities for young people and skills shortages are high on the government agenda, manufacturing offers something concrete: diverse opportunities for young people from all backgrounds.<\/p>\n

Engaging with young people through apprenticeships<\/p>\n

Olivia Tomlinson is a third-year Packaging Degree Apprentice at Nestl\u00e9\u2019s Dalston factory in Cumbria. In her role, she blends hands-on experience on packaging innovation and sustainability working at one of Britain\u2019s most iconic coffee brands with academic learning.<\/p>\n

Speaking about her route into the industry with Nestl\u00e9, she said: \u201cI was studying art and design when I started questioning what happened to the packaging on products I was buying. That curiosity brought me here.\u201d<\/p>\n

She now works closely with packaging projects and has been shortlisted for a national Circularity Champion award. \u201cI walk around the factory seeing opportunities for improvement everywhere \u2013 something I never would have imagined doing a few years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

5 top tips to get a career in manufacturing<\/p>\n

Start with the brands already in your life: Open your kitchen cupboard or scroll through the products you use daily and chances are, many are made right here in the UK. Companies like Nestl\u00e9 offer apprenticeship schemes. Head to brand careers pages and search \u2018early careers\u2019 or \u2018apprenticeships\u2019 \u2013 if you already love the brand, applying feels a lot less daunting.
\nFind out what you need to get in: You might be closer than you think. Most manufacturing apprenticeships ask for GCSEs in Maths and English (grades 4-9), while technical roles often welcome BTECs, T-Levels or A-Levels in STEM subjects and wider. Check a few job descriptions now and you might realise you\u2019re already there, or you\u2019ll know exactly what to aim for.
\nMake the most of work experience opportunities. There are different ways to access work experience and work shadowing. Sector campaigns, such as the Institute of Grocery Distribution\u2019s \u2018Mmmake your Mark\u2019 campaign, help raise awareness of the career opportunities available across the industry. Additionally, your college or university might be partnering with a manufacturer in your local area. You can also stay close to a company\u2019s online communications, some companies offer virtual work experience or publish experiential videos, such as Nestl\u00e9\u2019s \u2018Amazing Machines\u2019 content series on YouTube.
\nUse the right platforms to search: Bookmark www.gov.uk\/apply-apprenticeship<\/a> and RateMyApprenticeship.co.uk<\/a> \u2013 both let you filter by industry, location and entry requirements. Set up job alerts so opportunities land in your inbox. Apprenticeship applications often open months ahead of start dates, so the earlier you start looking, the better.
\nMessage someone who\u2019s already doing it: This sounds awkward, but it works. Search LinkedIn for \u2018manufacturing apprentice\u2019 or \u2018engineering apprentice\u2019 and send a polite message asking about their experience. Most people are happy to share what surprised them, what they wish they\u2019d known, and how they got their foot in the door. Real advice beats a job description every time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Despite the manufacturing sector contributing \u00a3518bn to the UK\u2019s economy and supporting over seven million jobs, Britain\u2019s manufacturing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20669,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[126],"tags":[13735,199,990,497,13736],"class_list":["post-20668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nestle","tag-apprenticeships","tag-nestle","tag-skills","tag-trade","tag-training"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20668","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20668"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20668\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20669"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}