Twelve teenagers from a Surrey school received first-hand insight on manufacturing activities and industrial design when they toured a process filter firm’s production centre.

Senior representatives from Amazon Filters welcomed the party from Tomlinscote School in Camberley to the facility, located just two miles from the state secondary. The visit was organised as part of Amazon Filters’ long-standing support for the Community Matters Partnership (CMP) through the charity’s RAISE initiative.

Standing for ‘Raise Aspirations Inspire Support Encourage’ and now in its third year, the initiative is designed to boost awareness of vocational opportunities among young learners and encourage confidence and motivation about entering the world of work.

The Year 9 party, a mix of 13- and 14-year-olds, were welcomed by Neil Pizzey, Managing Director, and Ruth Pappadakis, Head of People and Culture, and given hi-viz jackets and other personal protective clothing to wear as they went around.

Hosts included Pauline Guittap, Learning, Development & People Administrator, Karl Pizzey, Operations Director, Chris Foster, Senior Learning Content Developer, and Simon Hughes, Sales Director.

The visitors toured the Cartridge Production, Housing Fabrication, Housing Production, Housing Component Manufacturing and Despatch departments.

As well as the shopfloor, they went to the centre’s offices to learn how filtration products and related engineering processes are designed.

For orientation and to serve as a conversation prompt, the party completed a quiz about Amazon Filters before they arrived. It required research to namecheck the 41-year-old firm’s core markets, which include municipal water, pharmaceuticals and energy, and list product names, the company’s five ‘behaviours’ and employee headcount, currently 270.

Joining the pupils on the visit were Simon Jarvis, CMP’s Chief Executive, and Adam Jackson, Tomlinscote School’s co-ordinator for RAISE.

As well as Amazon Filters, pupils on this year’s RAISE programme have visited Farnborough Airport, UK Connect, The Village Hotel and BMW Group.

In a presentation on RAISE ‘graduation day’ at The Village Hotel, pupils spoke about their visit to Amazon Filters, with one saying: “We were able to speak to people who have the opportunity to work in many different departments across the company.”

Ruth Pappadakis said:

“It was a pleasure and privilege to support RAISE by welcoming young people into our production centre. Once again, we gave pre-GCSE students a little taste of the world of work and how modern industrial filtration processes create the essential products we all rely on. We discussed safety, sustainability and efficiency, all key aspects of what we do.”

RAISE is one of several ways that Amazon Filters partners with CMP. The pair also arrange company volunteering days for Amazon Filters team members to help charities and other good causes. In 2025, the firm’s volunteers clocked up 94 ‘CMP days’.

So far this year, 105 days have either been completed or are in plan for CMP. Organisations to benefit from Amazon Filters’ input include children’s charity Just4Kids, hospice care charity Phyllis Tuckwell, Yateley Industries for Disabled, Brookwood Cemetery and Reg’s Community Garden.

Amazon Filters team members will also take part in CMP’s annual Twilight Runway Challenge, a family-friend run at Blackbushe Airport in September, in aid of a range of charities.

Amazon Filters became a CMPP business partner in November 2021.

Photo: Karl Pizzey, Amazon Filters’ Operations Director, with pupils from Tomlinscote School on their visit to the filter manufacturer’s Camberley production centre.