Mayor Champions Manufacturing Apprenticeships

Mayor Champions Manufacturing Apprenticeships

Paul Bristow, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, visited Stainless Metalcraft (Metalcraft) in Chatteris to tour the facility, meet some of its apprentices and see why they are one of the region’s leading advanced manufacturing businesses.

Located in the heart of the Fens, Metalcraft manufactures components for a wide range of performance-critical sectors including nuclear, traditional and renewable energy, data centres, medical, submersibles and marine applications. It is a hub of opportunity for young people, offering hands-on training and career development in advanced manufacturing, with a rich history of bringing through apprentices, including to senior management roles.

The Mayor was shown round the facility by Austen Adams, Chief Operating Officer of Avingtrans PLC, Metalcraft’s parent company, and Chris Duggan, Metalcraft’s Managing Director.

During the visit, the Mayor heard about Metalcraft’s work and plans to create an innovation park on its site that will help develop the wider business and manufacturing sectors in the Fens. The Chatteris Advanced Manufacturing Park Incubator and Outreach Network (CHAMPION) is planned as a hub for advanced manufacturing with new buildings for advanced manufacturers and supply chain businesses, incubation space, and R&D organisations.  The North Cambridgeshire Training Centre (NCTC) was the first phase of the project, which opened in 2022 and was funded with more than £3 million from the Combined Authority.

Mayor Paul Bristow said;

“Manufacturing is thriving in the Fens and Stainless Metalcraft is a prime example of that. Having the  North Cambridgeshire Training Centre directly on site, funded by the Combined Authority, is providing the next generation of skilled employees. But we can do more.  I want to see an advanced manufacturing innovation park in the Fens that will not only benefit the region but will deliver a worldwide message that Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is the place to be for manufacturing. I want our local economy to be the fastest growing outside London, and developments like this can help us achieve that.”

Chris Duggan, Managing Director of Metalcraft said;

“It has been great to welcome the Mayor to Metalcraft and talk with him about the future of manufacturing in the region and how we can help shape that vision.

“At Metalcraft, we have been supporting local people into rewarding, long-term careers in the industry for over a hundred years and are passionate about providing young people with the skills they need to thrive in the sector.”

Austen Adams, COO at Avingtrans added;

“Having begun my own career as an apprentice many years ago, I’ve seen first hand how investment in skills and facilities is crucial to supporting growth and ensuring the UK remains at the forefront of the global manufacturing industry. We look forward to working closely with the Mayor and his team over the coming months to bring our shared vision to life and ensure that the region is well placed to continue attracting high value, rewarding jobs to the benefit of the local community.”

The success of Metalcraft’s apprenticeship programme has been recognised through a variety of awards, including the Princess Royal Training Awards and the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise. Applications for 2026 entry open on 1 November 2025. For further details, visit www.metalcraft.co.uk/apprenticeships