Hyde-based educational resources supplier Findel hosts Flowery Field Primary School for Greater Manchester’s first ‘Start Small, Dream Big’ workplace visit

Start Small, Dream Big is £2.6m pilot programme funded by the Department for Education. It is targeting 2,250 primary schools and 600,000 pupils across the country to encourage children from disadvantaged backgrounds to dream big about their future careers.

Findel has become the first employer in Greater Manchester to offer a workplace visit to primary students as part of the initiative. The visit was undertaken in collaboration with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA).

Students from Flowery Field Primary School, which is also in Hyde, visited Findel’s headquarters to learn more about the company, its products, and the different career roles within the business.

During the visit, the pupils took part in interactive sessions around the skills required for various positions at Findel and to provide insights into the world of work.

David Barton, assistant special educational needs coordinator at Flowery Field Primary School, said: “The children had a good time and took the whole experience in their stride. It was lovely how all the staff were engaged with the children and made them feel extremely welcomed.

“Coming to such a large workspace could have been very intimidating, especially for a group of children with a variety of needs, but the atmosphere in Findel was very calm and reassuring to them."

Findel delivered the workplace visit through the Findel Foundation. This long-term initiative from Findel aims to provide ongoing support to a range of children’s education, wellbeing and environmental causes throughout the UK.

Claire Gleave, head of the Findel Foundation, commented: “At Findel, we are proud to demonstrate our commitment to supporting the local community through the Findel Foundation's Careers Pillar.

“This is not just about providing career guidance to young people, but about offering hands-on, impactful experiences that can shape their futures.

“Our work with the Start Small, Dream Big initiative and the GMCA is a great example of us delivering on this commitment. It was great to host the students of Flowery Field Primary School and give them the experience of our day-to-day working environment.”

Greater Manchester lead for technical education and skills, Cllr Eamonn O'Brien, said: “In Greater Manchester, we want to inspire young people from the start of their education journey. Children have big dreams, but these can be limited by stereotypes.

“The 'Start Small, Dream Big' programme helps children, especially from disadvantaged backgrounds, explore the world of work in meaningful ways. It connects school subjects to real jobs, breaking down barriers and raising aspirations.

Through workplace visits like this one at Findel, we're helping young children to learn about opportunities across the city region, realise their individual talent and develop skills that will serve our young people throughout their lives.”

Findel’s origins as an educational resources supplier can be traced back to 1817. Today, its brands and websites offer more than 32,000 products to educators and parents based in the UK and overseas with the business exporting to 130 countries.

Headquartered in Hyde, Findel also has a distribution centre and offices in Nottingham and employs around 300 people.