Lube Media launches LubeLife to bridge the gap between Classroom and Career
New initiative gives the lubricants industry a complete solution for inspiring, attracting and recruiting the next generation of talent
The lubricants industry has long recognised the challenge of attracting young people into technical careers. An ageing workforce, increasing competition for skilled employees and a lack of awareness among students have created a growing recruitment challenge across the sector.
Now, Lube Media believes it has developed a practical solution.
Officially launched at the recent Lube Media Conference in London, LubeLife: From Classroom to Career has been created to bridge the gap between education and employment, providing what is believed to be the industry’s first joined-up pathway that takes young people from discovering the lubricants industry in the classroom to securing their first role within it.
Rather than focusing solely on filling vacancies, LubeLife has been designed to introduce students to careers across the lubricants sector while they are still in education, inspire them through direct engagement with industry professionals and then connect them with employers looking for apprentices, placement students, graduates and early-career professionals.
The initiative combines two key programmes: the Lube Media STEM Ambassador Programme, delivered in partnership with the Baker Dearing Educational Trust and its network of University Technical Colleges (UTCs), together with an exclusive recruitment partnership with StudySmarter, one of Europe’s largest student learning and recruitment platforms.
Together they create a continuous talent pipeline, bridging the gap between classroom and career.
For employers, LubeLife offers a completely new approach to recruitment. Instead of waiting until a vacancy arises, companies can begin building relationships with future talent much earlier. Whether organisations are looking to recruit technical college leavers, apprentices, interns, placement students, graduate engineers, laboratory technicians, chemists or other early-career professionals, LubeLife provides access to the next generation of skilled people entering the workforce.
For students and graduates, the initiative opens the door to an industry many have never previously considered. The lubricants sector offers exciting careers across chemistry, tribology, engineering, manufacturing, sustainability, logistics, technical sales, product development, digital technology, marketing and business leadership. Yet despite the breadth of opportunity, many young people remain unaware that these careers even exist.
Tina Reading, Editor of Lube Media, believes the industry has spent years talking about recruitment without addressing where recruitment really begins.
“If students don’t know our industry exists, how can we expect them to choose it as a career? Recruitment doesn’t begin with a job advert; it begins with awareness. We have some of the most innovative, scientific and rewarding careers anywhere in manufacturing, but we’ve never really told that story to the next generation.”
Tina says LubeLife was developed to change that.
“For years we’ve heard companies talking about skills shortages, succession planning and the challenge of recruiting young people into technical roles. We wanted to do more than simply talk about the problem; we wanted to create a solution. LubeLife bridges the gap between classroom and career by combining inspiration with recruitment. Through our STEM Ambassador Programme we’re introducing students to an industry they may never have heard of by working in partnership with Baker Dearing Educational Trust, and through our partnership with StudySmarter we’re giving employers direct access to millions of students and graduates actively planning their futures.”
Unlike traditional recruitment campaigns, LubeLife supports both employers and future employees.
“Whether you’re a company looking for fresh young talent or you’re a student wondering where your STEM qualifications could take you, we’ve got it covered. If you’re searching for apprentices, technical college leavers, placement students, graduate recruits or early-career professionals, LubeLife provides a direct route to tomorrow’s workforce. Equally, if you’re looking for a doorway into an exciting global industry, we’re opening that door.”
The programme enables employers to engage with students while they are still making career choices through the STEM Ambassador Programme. As those students progress through technical colleges, universities and into employment, companies can continue that relationship through the StudySmarter platform, creating a continuous recruitment pipeline rather than simply advertising individual vacancies.
Tina believes this represents a significant shift in how the lubricants industry approaches recruitment.
“Most recruitment starts when someone leaves a business or a vacancy appears, and by then you’re competing with every other engineering and manufacturing company for the same candidates. We’re turning that on its head. We’re helping companies build relationships with future talent years earlier, creating sustainable talent pipelines instead of simply filling jobs.”
With more than 4.7 million students using StudySmarter in the UK and an expanding network of STEM Ambassadors engaging directly with University Technical Colleges, LubeLife aims to become the industry’s gateway for future talent.
“The future scientists, engineers, laboratory technicians and innovators our industry needs are already sitting in classrooms today. Our responsibility is to make sure they know who we are, what we do and why this industry offers an exciting, rewarding and global career. That’s exactly what LubeLife has been created to achieve.”
________________________________________
Interview with Tina Reading, Editor, Lube Media
Why did you create LubeLife?
“For years I’ve listened to companies across the lubricants industry talking about recruitment challenges. Every conference seems to include discussions around ageing workforces, succession planning and attracting younger people into technical careers. The more I looked at it, the more I realised the problem wasn’t simply recruitment. It was awareness. Most students have never heard of our industry, so they never consider it as a career. We wanted to change that.”
What makes LubeLife different?
“Most recruitment begins when a vacancy appears. By then, every engineering and manufacturing company is competing for the same people. LubeLife starts much earlier. We introduce students to our industry while they’re still at school, technical college or university. Whether that be through our STEM Ambassador Programme, or through their own usage of the StudySmarter APP. As they move through education, we continue that journey, helping employers connect with them through placements, apprenticeships, internships and graduate opportunities. It really is a bridge between classroom and career.”
Who is the programme designed for?
“It’s designed for both employers and future employees. If you’re a company looking for bright, ambitious young people, whether that’s technical college leavers, apprentices, placement students, graduates or early-career professionals, we can help you reach them. Equally, if you’re studying STEM subjects and wondering where your qualifications could take you, LubeLife introduces you to an industry full of innovation, science, sustainability and international career opportunities.”
Why are STEM Ambassadors so important?
“Young people don’t connect with industries, they connect with people. Meeting an engineer, chemist or laboratory technician who genuinely enjoys their career can completely change a student’s perception of what’s possible. Sometimes one conversation is enough to inspire someone’s future.”
What role does StudySmarter play?
“StudySmarter allows us to take that inspiration one step further. It gives employers access to one of the UK’s (and Europe’s) largest student and graduate communities, making it easier than ever to recruit apprentices, interns, placement students and graduates. We’ve effectively joined the dots between education and employment.”
What would success look like for you?
“I’d love the day when a teacher asks a classroom what they want to be when they grow up and one of the answers is, ‘I want to work in the lubricants industry.’ If we can achieve that, we’ll know we’ve helped change the future of our sector.”
