A great city, whose image dwells in the memory of man, is the type of some great idea. Rome represents conquest; Faith hovers over the towers of Jerusalem; and Athens embodies the pre-eminent quality of the antique world, Art. What Art was to the ancient world, Science is to the modern; the distinctive faculty. In the minds of men the useful has succeeded to the beautiful. Instead of the city of the Violet Crown, a Lancashire village has expanded into a mighty region of factories and warehouses. Yet, rightly understood, Manchester is as great a human exploit as Athens.

It is the philosopher alone who can conceive the grandeur of Manchester, and the immensity of its future. There are yet great truths to tell, if we had, or have; the courage to announce or the temper to receive them. Benjamin Disraeli

Manchester is the foundation for the industrial revolution. A prototype. At the core of this movement is the Machinist.  Machining is the very backbone of our modern society. From plastics to metals, it combines the elements of a variety of sciences, from mathematics to metallurgy. Therefore the machinist has to be among the most educated and up to date professional of all the industrial trades.