Gripple helps shape Yorkshire’s future workforce with new interactive zone at Skills Street

In a world full of screens and digital distractions, the value of hands-on, real-world experience is more important than ever. Gripple, a Sheffield-born advanced manufacturing company, recognised this early on and became one of the very first investors in Skills Street – a fun, immersive learning environment designed to spark ambition and inspire future careers.

Based in South Yorkshire at Gulliver’s Valley – the UK’s newest theme park – Skills Street is transforming how career education is delivered to children and young people. With a kinaesthetic learning approach, Skills Street has 15 interactive zones, each created in partnership with local employers or educators to showcase different careers across Yorkshire, North Derbyshire and beyond.

Gripple has backed Skills Street from the very start, committing to design and sponsor its own zone back when the project was still just a concept. That vision is now a reality.

On 7th October 2025, the Gripple Zone officially opened – an immersive world of manufacturing and engineering that mirrors the company’s real operations and culture. Packed with real operational insight and innovation, it showcases the full journey of product development, from concept and design to manufacturing and automation, complete with a fully functioning robotic arm. The zone also shines a light on the wide range of career opportunities at Gripple, from engineering and manufacturing to finance, marketing and sales.

At the heart of the zone is a ‘Gripple World’ model – a creative centrepiece that tells the company’s story, featuring a model of the founder, Hugh Facey, showing visitors how it all began. They also get the chance to engage in activities linked to Gripple Spirit – the company’s unique values and behaviours that underpin its employee-owned culture.

Emma Hibbert, head of People & Recruitment at Gripple, says, “We’re proud to be part of a project that helps shape the future workforce across Yorkshire and beyond. Our zone on Skills Street is a key part of our wider education engagement strategy, as it gives us a powerful opportunity to spark interest early on, especially within our surrounding communities. Initiatives like this help to close the skills gap and ensure young people from all walks of life have access to the same opportunities.

This long-standing partnership reflects Gripple’s commitment to education and its mission to raise career aspirations in the local community, inspire the next generation, and build a strong pipeline of future talent.

James Beighton, development manager at Skills Street, adds: “At Skills Street, we want young people to understand the ‘why’ behind learning and the curriculum, and the Gripple Zone does exactly that – opening up a whole new world of skills and careers by revealing the often unseen side of business. Instead of just seeing snippets of these industries on a film or TV show, young people can now step into them – actually be there, be in it, and be able to see what a job with Gripple really looks like.

“Together we’re flipping the script, changing perceptions of industry, and inspiring the next generation – one skill at a time.”