Keighley's MP Robbie Moore has welcomed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to Keighley, where the pair visited leading industrial boiler company Byworth Boilers to meet with Keighley’s “next generation” of manufacturers.
The pair spoke to apprentices at the premises, including Harry Pullan (aged 24), who recently took first place at the WorldSkills UK National welding finals and was nominated by the town’s MP as the town’s ‘Skills Champion’ at a Downing Street reception.
The Prime Minister congratulated Production Director Rob Baldwin on the "excellent" work the company is doing, also trying his hand at wiring up an emission-monitoring software device that analyses emissions from boilers.
Local MP Robbie Moore praised the “hard work, grit and determination” at staff at the company, and says the visit showed that “Keighley can thrive on its own terms outside of the control of Bradford Council.”
A third-generation family-run business based on Parkwood Street in Keighley, Byworth Boilers are on of the UK’s leading exporters of boilers across the globe.
Their latest innovative equipment, Unity, is Byworth’s revolutionary boiler control system, which harnesses the power of digital technology to transform the industrial boiler industry. Unity began development in Spring 2013 and by Autumn 2013, the first system had been sold. A testament to its unique value, Unity won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation in 2016.
The latest extension to the Byworth site was completed early 2021 and added another 135 metres to the facility.
Commenting on the visit, local MP Robbie Moore said:
“Our fantastic manufacturing sector helped build this town. And as Keighley’s MP, I want to see the sector transition into a new era of greatness. It was therefore fantastic to introduce the Prime Minister to Keighley’s next generation of apprentices at Byworth Boilers, a brilliant local business leading the way in their sector and putting our town on the map right across the globe.
The visit was also a chance to show the Prime Minister the hard work, grit and determination of people on display every day in Keighley and highlight that our town is a powerhouse of talent, able thrive on its own terms, outside of the control of Bradford Council.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:
I was delighted to to visit Keighley today to meet with hardworking apprentices and staff at Byworth Boilers, who are driving local growth and helping young people gain valuable skills and secure high-skilled jobs.
Our plan is working with over 5.7 million people starting apprenticeships since 2010 – enabling young people to climb the ladder of opportunity to good jobs and higher wages. In contrast, Labour lacks a coherent plan for apprenticeships and would halve the number of apprenticeships, risking the futures of thousands of young people across the country.
We are delivering on our promise to build an Apprenticeships Nation and it is places like Keighley that will be at the heart of this plan."
