Steph on Skills powered by Enginuity

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 Intro00:27 What Babcock Does01:45 Why Skills Matter03:04 Roles and Career Paths04:53 Early Careers Pipeline07:02 Supporting SMEs Supply Chain08:25 Nuclear Skills Push09:55 Defence and Nuclear Perception Shift11:59 Community Skills Partnerships14:28 Making Careers Tangible16:12 Skills Gap Challenges16:43 New Routes into Trades19:52 Pre Apprenticeships and NEETs21:45 Immigration and Resourcing23:04 Diversity and Inclusion25:05 Ruth Career Journey27:23 Facing Bias and Advice29:03 Final Takeaways and Wrap UpGet in touch with us at sospod@enginuity.org

A recent report from SQW, a leading UK-based consultancy specialising in economic and social research, which was commissioned by Enginuity, estimates the skills gap is costing the sector about £5.2bn each year. Steph is joined by Cathryn Moses-Stone, Senior Policy and Public Affairs for Enginuity, and entrepreneur and former SME managing director James Greenham, to discuss this new research and dig into the realities that this economic impact is having on manufacturing and engineering SMEs.00:00 Welcome and Guests00:42 Why Measure the Skills Gaps?02:35 The Reality of Hiring as an SME04:58 The £5.2 Billion Black Hole06:23 Productivity and Apprenticeships07:45 SME Constraints10:12 Navigating Skills Reform12:48 Grants and R&D Tax Credits14:07 Fixing Vocational Education14:52 Networks and Final TakeawaysGet in touch with us at sospod@enginuity.org

Steph is joined by Phil Smith CBE, Chair of Skills England, and Ann Watson, CEO of Enginuity, to discuss Skills England’s recently published Annual Skills Report which sets out the key challenges facing England’s skills system and actions for how they can be addressed.They also chat about the industrial strategy’s growth sectors, potential opportunities over the next 5–10 years, pathways for moving between sectors and how to tackle the NEET challenge of about a million young people who are not in education, earning or training. 00:00 Welcome00:17 What is Skills England?03:58 How Job Titles create Gender Bias06:12 Work Experience Changes Minds08:05 Manufacturing Hidden in Plain Sight09:17 Skills England Annual Report Insights12:07 Essential Skills in the AI Era14:24 Creativity and Hands On Learning15:48 Skills Classification and Passports16:34 The NEETs Challenge16:58 Recognising Hidden Strengths20:09 AI Confidence Story23:38 SME Skills Struggles27:55 Skills England WishlistGet in touch with us at sospod@enginuity.org

Steph chats with Kathryn Marshall, Senior Apprenticeship and T Level Manager at Lloyds Banking Group, to challenge the misconception that apprenticeships are mainly for engineering and manufacturing. With Lloyds Banking Group employing over 1,300 apprentices across more than 30 disciplines, Kathryn explains the breadth of roles on offer such as audit, digital, data, software engineering and cybersecurity.Kathryn dispels the myth that you need maths qualifications to work in banking, revealing the only role where A-level Maths is a requirement, and sharing which skills matter more than subjects studied.Steph and Kathryn also discuss the way AI is impacting jobs, as Kathryn outlines how Lloyds’ AI Academy is helping its 60,000 colleagues and the ways their youth outreach is aligning with their purpose of ‘helping Britain prosper’.  00:00 Apprenticeships Beyond Engineering01:24 Routes into Banking Careers02:29 Actuarial and Audit Explained06:28 School Outreach and Awareness07:20 Digital and Tech Apprenticeships10:00 Who Thrives as an Apprentice11:01 Networking and Squiggly Careers14:01 Standing Out in Applications20:13 Family Journeys and No False Starts23:31 AI Academy and Future Skills25:31 Purpose and Community Outreach27:13 Key Takeaways and GoodbyeGet in touch with us at sospod@enginuity.org

Steph meets Laura McBrown, Managing Director of G&B, an electronic manufacturing service provider, who has been running the family business with her sister, Kate, for the past 11 years. Laura explains how she got into the industry entirely by accident but loved the creativity and diverse range of roles so much that it inspired her to study electrical engineering.She shares the story behind her father founding the company during the recession of the later 1980s and how the business has grown since that time, now serving the defence, aerospace, medical, and other highly regulated sectors. Laura discusses how she and her sister are shaping the culture of the business, why team morale matters and how they approach recruitment in the face of a sector wide skills shortage. 00:00 Welcome00:28 Family Business Origins01:24 Industry Shift to Manufacturing04:06 Learning on the Job08:02 Proving Leadership and Culture09:51 Business Today and Growth Goals10:57 Skills Pipeline Challenge12:20 National Manufacturing Day Tours15:08 Making Outreach Work for Business17:39 Building Confidence and UpskillingGet in touch with us at sospod@enginuity.org

In this episode, Steph is finding out about the thriving engineering and manufacturing sector in Cornwall. First up, she meets Eric Nicholls, Chair of the Cornwall Manufacturing Group, whose members employ about 4,000 people with a combined turnover of roughly £600m.  He explains how the area’s mining heritage provided roots for what is now a diverse offering of manufactured products and services, and how a close working relationship with local colleges has significantly transformed the skills. At Watson Marlow, Head of Manufacturing Engineering Neil Bury describes how his own career path took him from starting as an apprentice to his current role in senior leadership, which included restarting as an apprentice as part of strategic leadership qualification.   Matt Newman is another employee with Watson Marlow, who has recently embarked on a Project Management secondment. Matt outlines how a two-year engineering course when he was younger, swayed his career decision and lead to an apprenticeship in machining. He also tells Steph why he has been keen to continue learning as his career progressed and how that led to being named Management Apprentice of the Year 2024. 00:00 Welcome to Cornwall00:20 Cornwall Manufacturing Snapshot01:45 Heritage and Skills Shift03:19 Collaboration with Local Colleges04:30 Why Manufacturing Matters05:34 Inside Watson Marlow06:21 Neil’s Apprentice Journey08:07 Leadership Apprenticeships Today12:53 Work Life in Cornwall16:41 Matt’s Apprenticeship Path19:44 Awards and Next Steps22:25 Apprenticeships Advice23:42 Final ThanksGet in touch with us at sospod@enginuity.org

With the Enginuity Skills Awards coming up on the 1st July, Steph sits down with the Event Lead, Ben Hope, to find out what goes into planning this highly prestigious evening which celebrates careers and talent across the engineering and manufacturing sector. Now in its 12th year and with a record number of nominations, Ben tells us about the range of talents and categories which are showcased and why attending the Awards offers an opportunity to network with industry thinkers, leaders and new talent, as well as celebrate successes. Steph also meets this year’s host, Swarzy Shire (BBC Sounds, Radio 1/1Xtra/Radio 4) who talks about her own journey into radio and TV and why she’s excited about the Awards night. Tickets for the Enginuity Skills Awards are available online.00:00 Welcome 01:12 Award Categories and Nominations02:52 The Importance of Sharing Finalists Stories06:34 Behind the Scenes Behind the Scenes07:38 Networking Tips and Confidence10:35 Judging Process and Tickets13:14 Meet Swarzy13:44 Swarzy’s Radio Journey 18:27 Preshow Rituals Get in touch with the podcast at sospod@enginuity.org

Recorded at the Make UK Conference at the QEII Centre in London, Steph is joined by Robert Halfon, the former MP, Skills Minister and Education Select Committee chair, who is currently Executive Director for Policy Membership and External Affairs at Make UK, and Marisa Kurimbokusto, a Chartered Engineer who was awarded ‘Young Woman Engineer of the Year’ in 2024.Robert's extensive work on skills and apprenticeships has transformed opportunities across the UK. As Skills and Apprenticeships Minister, he changed careers advice to ensure apprenticeships were promoted in schools, launched the Skills for Life campaign and supported the development of UCAS for Apprenticeships to give apprenticeships equal status with university applications.Marisa graduated from the University of Cambridge with a Master’s degree in Aeronautical and Aerothermal Engineering and her career in product design and systems engineering within the automotive and power electronics industries has seen her land roles with Jaguar Land Rover, Triumph Motorcycles, Lyra Electronics and Aeristech. She’s currently Head of Engineering for the custom battery manufacturer Raeon. Together, Steph, Robert and Marisa discuss how to improve access to apprentices, the need to reduce red tape and increase funding, and tackling gendered stereotypes and stigma around vocational routes. 00:00 Introduction to guests00:35 Marisa’s Engineering Journey01:38 Robert’s Skills Mission08:19 Gender Stereotypes in Schools10:09 Why ‘Making’ Matters11:46 Facing Bias and Inclusion12:30 Women in Engineering Gains13:02 Apprenticeships Boom13:48 School Outreach Reality14:39 Fixing Careers Guidance18:53 Apprenticeships and Mobility22:59 Removing Stigma 26:56 Thanks and goodbye  Get in touch with us at sospod@enginuity.org