HUNDREDS of young people in North Yorkshire are now looking at the world through a glass clearly.

That is the result of the determined efforts of Saint-Gobain Glass UK at Eggborough, which was a finalist in the Best Business And Education Link category in The Press Business Awards 2006 and is now pitching for the title again this year.

In the last six months, the factory and its 194 staff have played host to nearly 80 students from local schools and colleges who have toured the site to see and understand the process of production from raw materials to glass.

On top of this the firm has hosted five two-week work experience placements with its engineering department for students from Selby College studying for their Engineering Higher National Diploma, and more placements are booked up for the rest of the year.

Catrina Lakin, training co-ordinator, said: “Many young people today have an image of industry and manufacturing as unattractive, dirty and generally not as exciting as a career in, say, the music industry.

“By educating young people about our company it helps to dispel this image and ensures our future – not only Saint-Gobain’s, but also the country’s, which could not run without manufacturing.”