Steph on Skills powered by Enginuity

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Welcome to the podcast that dives into the fascinating world of skills, innovation, and the future of engineering and manufacturing.   Hosted by broadcaster and qualified engineer, Steph McGovern, each episode brings insightful conversations with industry leaders, game-changers, and those shaping the skills landscape.   Get in touch with the pod team at sospod@enginuity.org to share your ideas, comments or let us know your feedback.   Powered by Enginuity – the charity focused on closing the skills gap in engineering and manufacturing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 4d ago

    Do Young People Really Want to Work? Meet Laura-Jane Rawlings, CEO of Youth Employment UK

    Steph interviews Laura-Jane Rawlings, CEO and founder of Youth Employment UK, a not-for-profit started in 2012 amid one million young people not in education, employment, or training, a level once again hitting the headlines. LJ explains how the organisation captures and amplifies the “youth voice,” through their annual Youth Voice Census, which surveys 11–30-year-olds with nearly 200 questions about all aspects of their life. Steph and LJ discuss the key findings such as the impact that a lack of work experience is having, young people’s concerns over the cost-of-living and UK economy and shrinking entry-level jobs. With the much-anticipated results of the Milburn Review set to be released in the coming weeks, Steph and LJ also look at some of the potential ways to address the NEET issue including the need for employers and communities to take action, social value procurement, and a youth guarantee. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:04 Why Youth Employment UK Exists 02:50 Youth Voice Census Explained 04:48 Key Findings - Young People Want to Work! 05:53 Barriers to Work Experience 07:15 Broken Social Contract and Mobility 10:00 System Failure and Milburn Review 12:35 Who Must Act Beyond Government? 15:33 Business Case for Hiring Youth 17:44 Local Solutions Devolution and SMEs 20:19 Social Value Procurement Ideas 24:36 Milburn Input and Youth Guarantee 27:30 Final Thoughts Get in touch with us at sospod@enginuity.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  2. Sep 30

    WorldSkills Shanghai with UK Minister for Skills, Jacqui Smith

    Recorded on location at WorldSkills 2026 in Shanghai, Steph sits down with UK Skills Minister, Jacqui Smith, to celebrate the young people representing Team UK at the prestigious international event and talk about the Government’s plans to improve vocational opportunities for the next generation. Topics discussed include the need to boost awareness of skills pathways, how Andy Burnham’s announcements for new technical route for 14-year-olds will be delivered within schools, and what steps can be taken in response to the Milburn Review on NEETs. 00:00 Welcome to WorldSkills 00:15 Inside the Shanghai Arena 02:22 Why Skills Matter 03:52 Making WorldSkills Known 06:17 New Technical Route at 14 07:47 Ofsted and Accountability 09:19 Funding and Employer Links 11:12 Devolution and Local Jobs 13:35 Milburn Review on NEETs 14:37 Joining Up Government Skills 17:09 What Success Looks Like 18:02 Apprenticeship Levy Reforms 19:23 Thanks and Goodbye Get in touch with us at sospod@enginuity.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  3. Sep 16

    From Apprentice to Entrepreneur – Meet Adam Stockwell

    Steph meets former apprentice, Adam Stockwell, Founder of iMaintain, an AI-driven reliability management platform for manufacturing – soon to be worth £100m.   Adam shares how his own experience on the shop floor fixing equipment in automotive manufacturing prompted the idea, when he realised that a knowledge sharing tool could help resolve issues much faster than waiting for access to an engineer.   Steph finds out how Adam approached designing the platform, what it was like pitching to venture capitalists and why he believes AI training is vital for the future of the manufacturing sector.    00:00 Welcome and Guest Introduction 01:04 What iMaintain Does 02:36 Real Shop Floor Problem 03:29 From Idea to Funding 05:17 Early Traction and Pilots 06:50 Advice for Would Be Founders 08:16 Why an Apprenticeship? 09:27 Challenges and Growth 11:48 AI Skills and Job Fears 15:08 Future Work and UK Scaling 19:20 Final thoughts Get in touch with us at sospod@enginuity.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  4. Aug 10

    Vocational Celebration Day 2026

    Recorded live at Teagle Machinery in Truro, Cornwall, the first-ever Vocational Celebration Day shines a spotlight on vocational training across the UK. Steph McGovern, a former apprentice herself, chats to apprentices from all around the UK to celebrate and promote the value of the ‘hard hat’ and all those taking forging their careers using a vocational pathway. Apprentices from sectors including engineering, HR, data science, transport planning, banking, sales and more share their journeys, challenges, and ambitions. In the studio, Steph also chats to Niki Storey, Group Strategy & Transformation Director at Enginuity and Alexia Williams MBE, Technical Lead at Rolls-Royce and an Enginuity Trustee, about the importance of vocational skills and why Vocational Celebration Day was created.  Steph also meets Carrie Childs from the Cornwall Careers Hub, who shares how their work is helping to reduce NEET rates across the local area.   Hosted at Teagle Machinery Ltd, Steph meets some of the apprentices on-site who make up 20% of the company’s work force and chats to Richard Berryman, Manufacturing Director at Teagle, about ways they are encouraging the apprentices to take on new responsibilities, including taking over parts of the factory on Fridays.  Messages of support also come from the Skills Minister Baroness Jacqui Smith, Enginuity’s CEO Ann Watson MBE, EAL’s Managing Director Alison Parkes, and Phil Smith CBE, Chair of Skills England. Plus, there’s a special performance from Adam Lyons & ‘The Paintshop Boys’  To watch the episode in full visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTauncd43LI 00:00 Welcome to Vocational Celebration Day 00:45 Inside Teagle Machinery 01:32 Meet the Apprentices 02:23 Message from Ann Watson MBE, CEO of Enginuity 04:55 Why Vocational Matters with Niki Storey and Alexia Williams MBE 11:19 Amazon Apprentice Olivia Lane 15:45 Audience Apprentices’ Stories 19:11 Factory Flashdance Moment with Adam Lyons & ‘The Paintshop Boys’ 21:02 Apprentice Ambassador Network in London 26:33 Message from the Skills Minister, Jacqui Smith 29:27 Teagle Apprentices in Action 33:45 Cornwall Tackles NEETs 35:48 Careers Skills and Networks 38:56 Apprentice Ambassador Network in the West Midlands 43:23 EAL Backs Vocational Routes 45:42 Apprentice Ambassador Network in the North East 51:45 Message from Phil Smith CBE, Skills England 53:46 Apprentice Ambassador Network in the North West 59:50 Lloyds Banking Group Apprentices in Edinburgh 01:02:06 Closing Thanks and Celebration Song Get in touch with us at sospod@enginuity.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Vocational Celebration Day 2026

  5. Jul 8

    Dame Ruth Cairnie DBE on Babcock, Defence Skills, and Building Talent Pipelines

    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 Get in touch with us at sospod@enginuity.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  6. Jun 24

    Mind the Gap - The £5 Billion Black Hole in Skills

    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 Guests 00:42 Why Measure the Skills Gaps? 02:35 The Reality of Hiring as an SME 04:58 The £5.2 Billion Black Hole 06:23 Productivity and Apprenticeships 07:45 SME Constraints 10:12 Navigating Skills Reform 12:48 Grants and R&D Tax Credits 14:07 Fixing Vocational Education 14:52 Networks and Final Takeaways Get in touch with us at sospod@enginuity.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  7. Jun 10

    NEET Solutions – What Happens Next?

    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 Welcome 00:17 What is Skills England? 03:58 How Job Titles create Gender Bias 06:12 Work Experience Changes Minds 08:05 Manufacturing Hidden in Plain Sight 09:17 Skills England Annual Report Insights 12:07 Essential Skills in the AI Era 14:24 Creativity and Hands On Learning 15:48 Skills Classification and Passports 16:34 The NEETs Challenge 16:58 Recognising Hidden Strengths 20:09 AI Confidence Story 23:38 SME Skills Struggles 27:55 Skills England Wishlist Get in touch with us at sospod@enginuity.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  8. May 27

    Apprenticeships Beyond Engineering

    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 Engineering 01:24 Routes into Banking Careers 02:29 Actuarial and Audit Explained 06:28 School Outreach and Awareness 07:20 Digital and Tech Apprenticeships 10:00 Who Thrives as an Apprentice 11:01 Networking and Squiggly Careers 14:01 Standing Out in Applications 20:13 Family Journeys and No False Starts 23:31 AI Academy and Future Skills 25:31 Purpose and Community Outreach 27:13 Key Takeaways and Goodbye Get in touch with us at sospod@enginuity.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Welcome to the podcast that dives into the fascinating world of skills, innovation, and the future of engineering and manufacturing.   Hosted by broadcaster and qualified engineer, Steph McGovern, each episode brings insightful conversations with industry leaders, game-changers, and those shaping the skills landscape.   Get in touch with the pod team at sospod@enginuity.org to share your ideas, comments or let us know your feedback.   Powered by Enginuity – the charity focused on closing the skills gap in engineering and manufacturing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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