Steph on Skills powered by Enginuity

Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves; Building Culture in a Family-Run Business

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 Welcome 00:28 Family Business Origins 01:24 Industry Shift to Manufacturing 04:06 Learning on the Job 08:02 Proving Leadership and Culture 09:51 Business Today and Growth Goals 10:57 Skills Pipeline Challenge 12:20 National Manufacturing Day Tours 15:08 Making Outreach Work for Business 17:39 Building Confidence and Upskilling Get in touch with us at sospod@enginuity.org [sospod@enginuity.org] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

From Mining to Manufacturing. How Cornwall is Thriving in the Skills Sector

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 Cornwall 00:20 Cornwall Manufacturing Snapshot 01:45 Heritage and Skills Shift 03:19 Collaboration with Local Colleges 04:30 Why Manufacturing Matters 05:34 Inside Watson Marlow 06:21 Neil’s Apprentice Journey 08:07 Leadership Apprenticeships Today 12:53 Work Life in Cornwall 16:41 Matt’s Apprenticeship Path 19:44 Awards and Next Steps 22:25 Apprenticeships Advice 23:42 Final Thanks Get in touch with us at sospod@enginuity.org [sospod@enginuity.org] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Preview of the Enginuity Skills Awards

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 [https://enginuity.org/skills-awards-2026]. 00:00 Welcome  01:12 Award Categories and Nominations 02:52 The Importance of Sharing Finalists Stories 06:34 Behind the Scenes Behind the Scenes 07:38 Networking Tips and Confidence 10:35 Judging Process and Tickets 13:14 Meet Swarzy 13:44 Swarzy’s Radio Journey  18:27 Preshow Rituals  Get in touch with the podcast at sospod@enginuity.org [sospod@enginuity.org] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Making Engineering and Apprenticeships Accessible: Skills, Stigma, and Culture Change

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 guests 00:35 Marisa’s Engineering Journey 01:38 Robert’s Skills Mission 08:19 Gender Stereotypes in Schools 10:09 Why ‘Making’ Matters 11:46 Facing Bias and Inclusion 12:30 Women in Engineering Gains 13:02 Apprenticeships Boom 13:48 School Outreach Reality 14:39 Fixing Careers Guidance 18:53 Apprenticeships and Mobility 22:59 Removing Stigma  26:56 Thanks and goodbye    Get in touch with us at sospod@enginuity.org [sospod@enginuity.org] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Fixing the UK Manufacturing Skills Gap: At Make UK’s National Manufacturing Conference

Recorded at Make UK’s National Manufacturing Conference at the QEII Centre in London, Steph welcomes Make UK CEO Stephen Phipson and Enginuity CEO and Make UK Board Member, Ann Watson, on to the podcast to discuss the UK manufacturing skills crisis and solutions.     Stephen has spent 35 years as a leading industrial figure and has worked directly for government in a number of appointments. He tells us about Make UK’s rich history and role supporting manufacturers with services, including training and running one of the UK’s largest apprentice training centres.    He also shares his own story of being an apprentice and the prestige it held.    With the sector facing around 50,000 vocational vacancies and a sharp fall in engineering apprentice starts - from about 130,000 pre-2016 to 45,000 last year after the Apprenticeship Levy - Steph asks Stephen and Ann what needs to happen to ensure a future pipeline of workers in manufacturing and whether the Government is doing enough to support the industry.    Together they discuss the challenges of an ageing workforce, SME funding and cost pressures, confusion from frequent policy changes, the need to fix Further Education provision, and improve access to levy funds.   Stephen also offers his own opinion on the role of AI and why we should remain optimistic that it will be beneficial for the sector.   00:00 Live from Make UK at the QEII Centre 00:36 Meet Make UK 01:35 Stephen’s Own Apprenticeship Story 04:10 Manufacturing Snapshot 08:28 SME Barriers And Costs 11:08 Government Solutions Push 14:29 The Need for Design & Technology in Schools 18:22 The Urgency for Joined Up Policy 20:49 AI Impact on Manufacturing 22:37 Final Thanks   Get in touch with us at sospod@enginuity.org [sospod@enginuity.org]   ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.