Celebrating manufacturing and the people shaping its future

National Manufacturing Day is a chance to celebrate the people, skills, innovation and opportunities that make UK manufacturing such an important part of our economy and our communities.

Taking place on the last Thursday of September each year, the day shines a light on the people and technology behind the products we use every day, while showcasing the exciting careers and opportunities available across engineering and manufacturing.

At Enginuity, we’re proud to support the sector and help make sure it has the right skills at the right time. But that starts with people seeing engineering and manufacturing as places where they can build rewarding careers, develop their skills and make a difference.

Inspiring the next generation

There are so many different routes into engineering and manufacturing, from apprenticeships and T Levels to higher education and on-the-job training. We want young people to know that a career in the sector is a choice worth considering, with opportunities to learn, progress and work on the technologies and challenges shaping our future.

That’s why we work with employers, educators and partners to raise awareness of these opportunities and celebrate the people already making their mark.

Our partnership with the Gatsby Foundation is helping employers in England understand the benefits of Engineering and Manufacturing T Levels, how they can engage with students and how T Levels can become part of their recruitment pipeline. The project is also sharing best practice and real examples to encourage more employers to offer industry placements.

And this year, we took that celebration a step further with the UK's first Vocational Celebration Day. Created by Enginuity and EAL, the event brought people together from across the UK to celebrate vocational learners, apprentices, educators and employers, and to recognise the value of vocational routes.

It was a chance to put the spotlight on the people choosing vocational pathways and the skills they are developing for their futures. We’ll continue to champion vocational routes as a positive choice and an important way into rewarding careers.

Celebrating the people behind the sector

We also believe in celebrating the people already building the future of engineering and manufacturing.

This year saw the 12th Enginuity Skills Awards, recognising outstanding students, apprentices, employers, teams and educators across the sector. As we look ahead to the 13th awards next year, we’re proud to continue giving the people behind the sector the recognition they deserve.

Because manufacturing isn’t just about what we make – it’s about the people who design it, build it, maintain it, improve it and find new ways to do things.

Supporting a skilled future

Alongside inspiring future talent, we’re working to understand and respond to the skills challenges facing the sector today.

Through our Policy Centre for Supply Chain and SMEs: Powered by Enginuity, we bring together businesses, policymakers, educators and other organisations to share evidence, develop insight and help shape solutions to the skills challenges facing engineering and manufacturing

Our March 2026 SME Snapshot Report brought together the experiences of more than 250 engineering and manufacturing SMEs, providing insight into the pressures and opportunities shaping businesses across the sector. With the next edition due in October, we’re continuing to listen to SMEs and turn their experiences into evidence that can help inform the future.

From our research and charitable projects to our training support, tools and resources, our work all comes back to the same ambition – helping the UK’s engineering and manufacturing sector have the skills it needs to grow and thrive.

Celebrating what comes next

National Manufacturing Day is about celebrating where manufacturing is today, but it’s also about looking forward.

It’s about a young person discovering a manufacturing career for the first time, an apprentice developing their skills, an employer investing in future talent and an experienced professional passing their knowledge on to the next generation.

There is a lot to celebrate across UK manufacturing and we’re proud to play our part in championing the people, skills and opportunities that will shape what comes next.

Find out more about our impact