A cohort of young professionals from Essentra has pitched a plan at a UN showcase to address manufacturing’s diversity and skills gap.
As part of the United Nations Global Compact’s SDG Innovation Accelerator for Young Professionals, a cohort of young professionals from Essentra, the global manufacturer and distributor of essential industrial components, has presented a proposal to address manufacturing’s diversity and skills gap. The proposal was pitched in London, where Essentra CEO Scott Fawcett and ESG Director Jennifer Spence were both in attendance.
The pitch was presented during the Accelerator’s Solutions Showcase at King’s College London by four young professionals from Essentra: Marta Bury, Quality Technician; Annie Bittlestone, Sustainability Coordinator; Devon Swingler, QA Manufacturing Engineer; and Megha Nagariya, Senior Accountant.
The UN Global Compact’s SDG Innovation Accelerator for Young Professionals brings together professionals aged 35 and under from organisations across the UK and around the world, to take part in a six-month programme which requires them to identify a business challenge specific to their company that aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At Essentra, the team of four consulted with the wider business over six months to define the challenge and develop solutions aligned with the SDGs, before pitching to a live audience showcase.
Addressing the sector’s challenges
Essentra’s proposal, “Future-Ready Manufacturing: Developing Diverse Talent for a Changing Industry,” addresses the pressing statistics around manufacturing’s diversity pool. According to the British Manufacturing Association, more than half of UK manufacturers (56.5%) identify skills and workforce shortages as the biggest barrier to growth, and Women in UK Manufacturing 2025 found that women make up just 22.9% of the rubber and plastics workforce.
This data translates to sector challenges such as an ageing workforce, skills shortages, knowledge retention risk and underrepresentation in operational and engineering roles.
What the proposal recommends
The proposal recommends strengthening succession planning and knowledge transfer between generations, and increasing opportunities through apprenticeships, work experience programmes, and partnerships with local schools and colleges. It also sets out to improve diversity and inclusion by increasing the visibility of women in manufacturing and engineering careers, and positioning manufacturing as a modern, rewarding career path for future talent.
Scott Fawcett, CEO at Essentra, said: “At Essentra, we’re committed to investing in the next generation of talent, and we’re incredibly proud to see our young professionals take on a challenge of this scale, bringing forward ideas that could help shape our future workforce. The manufacturing sector is facing a global skills crisis, with an ageing workforce, shrinking talent pipelines, and too few women in engineering and operational roles, so this kind of thinking matters more than ever. Our thanks to the UN Global Compact for the opportunity to take part in this programme, and huge credit to the team for what they’ve achieved.”
A potential global blueprint
Essentra’s Kidlington site has been proposed as a pilot location, setting out a structured approach to strengthen the business’s long-term workforce planning. Should the proposal be successful, there is potential for it to become a blueprint for the business’s workforce strategy globally.
Established in 1955, Essentra operates in 28 countries worldwide, with 14 manufacturing facilities, 24 distribution centres and 33 sales and service locations. Its range of 45,000 products serves more than 70,000 customers across industries including equipment manufacturing, automotive, fabrication, electronics, medical and renewable energy.
