Prince Charles to visit Tata factory in UK

The visit to the plant in Halewood on Merseyside, north-west England, is part of an ongoing series over two days to champion the 'Best of British' engineering and manufacturing in the UK.

The next line to the country's throne is expected to warn Britain that it is in danger of losing its reputation as the "standard bearer of quality manufacturing and engineering" if more young people are not attracted into the industries.

The 64-year-old Prince of Wales will deliver a speech to say: "As a country, we are rightly proud of our industrial heritage, but we should also celebrate our continued success as the standard bearer of quality manufacturing and engineering throughout the world.

"From car production to quality shoe-making, from precision engineering to traditional craft skills, Britain is truly a global leader."

He will also launch the Industrial Cadets programme, a national initiative backed by the Department for Communities and Local Government to encourage young people to join manufacturing industries, media reports here said.

The idea stemmed from discussions between the Prince and Tata Steel back in 2010 and is being run by the education charity Engineering Development Trust (EDT).

Industrial Cadets aims to raise aspirations for students aged between 12 and 14 by building awareness of the manufacturing industry in their local area.

Prince Charles has been a vocal champion in favour of certain causes, including a greener Britain and encouraging entrepreneurship among the youth.

He is also selling eco-friendly toys and discounted pink baby shoes on his Highgrove store website in the lead up to his first grandchild