Steph interviews Dame Ruth Cairnie DBE, Chair of Babcock International Group, patron of the Women in Defence Charter, member of the CBI Board and venture capital investor with a distinguished international career in the engineering sector.
Dame Ruth talks about Babcock’s role as an international defence contractor and major UK employer, contributing an estimated £4.3bn to the UK economy, and shares her thoughts on skills, culture, and teamwork, outlining the wide range of workforce needs - Babcock will require around 8,000 more UK hires over the next five years - and how company is approaching its talent recruitment.
Steph and Dame Ruth also discuss shifting perceptions of defence needs and a change in the understanding of nuclear initiatives, the role of the UK Nuclear Skills Charter, the importance of diversity, retention and progression within the workforce and the community initiatives Babcock are championing to support their talent supply chain.
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
00:27 What Babcock Does
01:45 Why Skills Matter
03:04 Roles and Career Paths
04:53 Early Careers Pipeline
07:02 Supporting SMEs Supply Chain
08:25 Nuclear Skills Push
09:55 Defence and Nuclear Perception Shift
11:59 Community Skills Partnerships
14:28 Making Careers Tangible
16:12 Skills Gap Challenges
16:43 New Routes into Trades
19:52 Pre Apprenticeships and NEETs
21:45 Immigration and Resourcing
23:04 Diversity and Inclusion
25:05 Ruth Career Journey
27:23 Facing Bias and Advice
29:03 Final Takeaways and Wrap Up
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