Yorkshire has a lot to shout about when it comes to manufacturing - Chris Black

At the height of the industrial revolution, Yorkshire was a key economic epicentre thanks to its manufacturing sector. Our textile mills in West Yorkshire clothed the world, while our steel and metal mills in South Yorkshire and Teesside helped to transform it.

Like all industrial powerhouses, it has had to adapt with the times and change to reflect modern economic prevailing winds. That is why the parts used by some of the largest aerospace players worldwide are being produced here in Yorkshire. It is why some of the most cutting-edge technologies and devices in the world of healthcare are being produced in the region. It is why the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre in South Yorkshire is attracting the likes of Boeing and Rolls Royce to the region.

And it is why Yorkshire businesses are at the forefront of the green energy movement that will make the region a world leader in this sector.

It is for all those reasons and more why manufacturing as a sector in Yorkshire is a true exemplar for British business. The region is massively outperforming the rest of the country, having seen a 19 per cent growth in its workforce over the last decade, making it the largest manufacturing employer in Britain. And, in an industry which has struggled historically to attract women into the sector, we in Yorkshire have increased the number of female entrants by 27 per cent in the last decade.

We are rightly proud to be marking National Manufacturing Day and shouting about our industry. The inaccurate stereotype that a job in manufacturing is dirty, unsafe, low paid and low skilled could not be further from reality.

Manufacturing is a sector that offers progression, in-house training, transferable skills, secure careers and exciting and fulfilling work that can lead to incredible places.

In Yorkshire we have been doing our bit to get this message across to schools and households across the region.

Bradford Manufacturing Weeks – organised by the West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and set to get underway on October 9 - has now connected more than 15,000 children in the city to its manufacturing base.

Similarly, the Leeds Manufacturing Festival has been a huge success in the city. It has been attracting atten t ion nationally and has showcased our incredible sector at its finest.

As a region we must collectively spread this message.

We should be immensely proud of our manufacturing sector and do all we can to protect and enhance it. After all, for centuries, it is what we have done best.

Chris Black is the managing director of Leeds-based manufacturer Sound Leisure and president of Leeds Chamber of Commerce.