What We Do

Two young students learning how to MIG weld during an ORE PROJECTS mentoring programme.

Skills

We offer free, hands-on metal fabrication classes to young people aged 16–25 across Hertfordshire and nearby areas, including Enfield, London, and beyond. Our workshops focus on practical making skills, helping participants build confidence, learn by doing, and develop abilities they can use in real working environments.

Like making things and want to learn real skills? This is for you.

Projects are shaped around the needs and interests of each group, including SENDMH schools, so everyone can take part in a way that works for them. Our mentees gain experience in:

  • Metal fabrication and welding
  • Using tools safely and confidently
  • Problem-solving and project planning
  • Working as part of a team
  • Turning ideas into physical objects

You don’t need experience, just curiosity and a willingness to try.

By making real objects in a working workshop, participants develop skills that are useful across creative, construction, and engineering careers.

Daniela Rubino and Lauren Wilson running a workshop for young students at their metal fabrication workshop.

Knowledge

Our workshop sits in the Hertfordshire countryside, alongside a community of 15 other craftspeople. Being part of this wider creative setting gives young people a chance to see how different makers work, learn about a range of creative careers, and feel part of something bigger.

You’ll be learning in a real creative space, not a classroom.

We also run tours and talks with established creative professionals, giving participants the chance to meet people working in the industry, ask questions, and hear honest advice about career paths. This helps young people:

  • Understand what jobs are available.
  • Learn what it’s really like to work in the creative/ technical field
  • Find routes into training, apprenticeships, and employment

You’ll meet people who’ve been where you are and can help you figure out what’s next.

These experiences raise aspirations and give young people the knowledge they need to make informed choices about their future.

Young participant playfully bending a piece of steel while learning in the RubinoWilson workshop during an Ore Projects session.

Support

We focus on those who may not otherwise have access to creative or technical training. All our classes are free, removing cost as a barrier and making sure opportunities are open to everyone.

If money or access has ever held you back, this space is for you.

Our workshops are friendly, inclusive, and supportive. We offer:

  • Small group sessions with plenty of individual support
  • Tailored workshops for SENDMH schools
  • Safe, welcoming spaces for underrepresented groups
  • Encouragement, mentoring, and practical guidance

You’ll be supported, listened to, and encouraged at every stage.

Our work responds to real challenges:

  • Only 15.7% of the engineering workforce is female
  • GCSE D&T entries have fallen by 68% in the last decade
  • The UK will need 250,000 more tradespeople by 2030

By taking part, you’re helping to change these numbers.

So far, we’ve delivered hands-on metalwork sessions to over 660 young people.