THE SECOND CUTLERS' AMBASSADOR PASSPORT CEREMONY!

I am looking forward to the second passport ceremony for the Cutlers 'Made in Sheffield' Ambassadors on Wednesday evening! This year 165 ambassadors are due to receive their passports from David Grey, the current Master Cutler in front of an audience of parents and carers and guests.

The Cutlers’ Company has been working with schools and colleges, businesses and employers in the engineering and advanced manufacturing sector, the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the Sheffield Children's Hospital, the retail sector, the computer science sector and the Glass Academy. 

The scheme began in 2012, when it was formally launched at the Cutlers’ Hall. The aim of the initiative was to provide school leavers with an additional skills-set based on the needs of the workplace - developing character, resilience and grit, basic skills like literacy, numeracy, communication and creativity and higher level skills like teamwork, problem solving and critical thinking. The 'Made in Sheffield' programme, with the associated skills framework and passport to recognise and accredit young people's learning, has attracted interest from other sectors and other schools and has been expanded to the care sector, HMRC, the arts and cultural sector and the sports, health and well-being sector. It has also been really encouraging to have both Sheffield College and Longley Park Sixth Form College working with us and to have the support of the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University.

The scheme is going from strength to strength with nearly 500 young people now on the programme and more schools are expected to join the scheme from September as the construction sector join the list of employers and sectors involved.