BBC apprentices showed they are on the right frequency by creating podcasts looking into how more young people could be encouraged to listen to talk-orientated radio stations.
The BBC launched its level three radio journalism apprenticeship scheme last September. It involves them splitting their time between studying at Lambeth College, and working with production teams on shows including Desert Island Discs on Radio 4.
The scheme’s six learners have just completed their first major project — which involved them creating podcasts looking into why younger people prefer music stations such as Radio 1 to talk stations such as Radio 4.
Apprentice Olivia Cope, aged 19, said: “It was a huge learning curve for all of us from the day we were set the challenge to make the podcasts, to the day we presented our editors, family and friends. Having a piece of audio I made from scratch being on the BBC website is an amazing achievement and an even better feeling.”
Visit www.bbc.co.uk/academy/production/article/art20140206113729859 to listen to the podcasts. Anyone interested in applying for apprenticeships starting in September can Tweet @BBCTrainees from March 10.
Cap: BBC apprentice Olivia Cope. Below: Olivia (back centre) with, from left, fellow apprentices Nadia Youssef, aged 22, Sally Garwood and Edward Jankowski, both 18, in a BBC studio
“As the popularity of apprenticeships increases, how can the sector ensure everyone has access to them?”
That was the question on everybody’s lips as the impact of race, gender or disability on whether learners start an apprenticeship provided the focus of debate at the Apprenticeship equalities conference on Tuesday April 29, held by the Trades’ Union Congress (TUC) in Central London.
Delegates also considered whether such demographics affect how much apprentices earn and what sector they train with TUC assistant general secretary Kay Carberry saying: “What is still missing in apprenticeships is equality.”
What is still missing in apprenticeships is equality — Kay Carberry
She pointed to TUC research, published six years ago, which highlighted a “gender segregation” in apprenticeships, with a high concentration of young women in the lowest paid apprenticeships.
“I’m very sorry to say that we haven’t made much progress since then,” she said.
“Research shows that women apprentices are still more likely to end up in low paid jobs and it also underlines the very low number of black people taking up apprenticeships, especially in higher paid sectors like engineering and construction.”
Ros McNeil, the National Union of Teachers’ head of education and equalities and Christine Townley, executive director of the Construction Youth Trust agreed, saying gender stereotyping often led childcare and hairdressing courses to be seen as female-only sector, while construction was considered masculine.
Delegates contribute their ideas for action on the conference’s interactive wall
Ms Townley said: “Forty two years ago, when I wanted to become a civil engineer I was told by the careers officer, ‘Girls don’t do that’. Recently I called a head teacher to come in and talk to the girls about construction and was told ‘my girls don’t do construction’.”
Ms McNeil said: “When we interview 14, 15 and 16-year-olds and ask the boys why they don’t want to do childcare, they often reply that they would like to but they say ‘I’m worried about what my mates and my dad might think, they might think that I’m gay’.
“So the sexism is reinforcing the homophobia and the homophobia is reinforcing the sexism and we have to tackle the two together.”
She added: “I think we need to name what we’re talking about here, we’re talking about racism, we’re talking about sexism, we’re talking about gender stereotypes, we’re talking about disablism.”
Peter Little, independent chair of the Department for Education advisory group on learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, said such misconceptions prevented young disabled people from getting onto apprenticeships.
“We need to get rid of some of the myths — one is that if you took on a disabled apprentice your success rates would plummet,” he said. “It’s not the case that if you take on someone with a disability, you’re taking on someone who won’t get there.”
Jeremy Crook, of the Black Training and Enterprise Group, called for a diversity forum, with representatives from employers, providers and unions, to be set up within the Skills Funding Agency to tackle the issues around gender, race and disability.
“We’ve got issues with different ethnic and gender groups on the labour market, and unless you’re going to talk about them openly and frankly I don’t think we’ll close this gap,” he said.
He added that providers needed to work with employers to examine application processes, as for every Bangladeshi person who gains an apprenticeship, nine have applied and for every black Caribbean person who starts, six have applied.
Jeremy Crook
For every white apprentice start, meanwhile, two people applied.
“Something is going on in these processes… and that needs to be unpacked and looked at,” he said.
Steve Craig, national officer for strategy, education and organisation at the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians said there was “a disconnect” in the sector between being aware of inequality issues and taking action on them.
“We don’t just need to talk about breaking barriers, we need to talk about how they’re created — they don’t just happen,” he said.
For Ms Townley, the best way to encourage young people from all backgrounds into apprenticeships was through seeing peers enrol. “I think there’s some great role models out there and we need to encourage them and we need to work together to help more young people understand the benefits of apprenticeships,” she said.
Shaks Ghosh, consultant on youth skills and employment, agreed, and pointed to role traineeships can play in increasing awareness of apprenticeships.
“There are a number of employers who are looking to traineeships because they have become concerned that the apprenticeships they run have become very single-focus,” she said. “It can also be glimpse into a world of work for young people who might have never been exposed to it before. Young people making the transition from school to work is probably one of the most difficult things that they’re going to do, but there’s really very little support for that as they walk about of the school gate.
“The Department for Education, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Work and Pensions really need to get their acts together to make sure young people can have a smooth transition from school to the world of work.”
She added: “My real call to action is: Can you help those young people who are just starting out now on their journey into the world of work?”.
Addressing the equality and diversity challenges in apprenticeships
There has been a policy focus on addressing inequalities in apprenticeships, particularly by gender, over many years, but achieving progress on the inclusion of women, ethnic minorities and other under-represented groups has proved challenging.
While women represent more than 50 per cent of apprentices, they often train in sectors that have low pay or offer limited opportunities for career progression. The conversion of existing employees to apprenticeships is more prevalent among women than men.
Among ethnic minorities, the overall low rate of participation is a concern, although participation also varies considerably between different ethnic groups and for some communities, it is far lower than would be expected based on population data.
The apprenticeship vacancy data shows significantly higher numbers of ethnic minority applicants than apprentices. In broad terms, demand exists among ethnic minorities but there is some blockage to their entry to the programme.
As part of recent research for Unionlearn, the Institute for Employment Studies explored the decisions made by young people about their careers and about pursuing apprenticeships.
Employer practices were examined along with the practices of providers, schools and other stakeholders, including those who support apprentices in the workplace.
We found that gender segregation in apprenticeships cuts across ethnic and cultural identities and that often ethnicity compounds the impact of occupational gender segregation.
It also revealed differing needs between ethnic minority communities, often linked to country of origin and migration trend. However, women predominate in advanced and higher apprenticeships, irrespective of ethnicity, and as such, these may provide a means to tackle the esteem and parity of apprenticeships.
There is a wealth of information and opinion about the barriers to apprenticeships for under-represented groups. The consistency in these over time, suggests that there is a gap in action rather than in knowledge. What we need to see is collaborative and concerted effort to overcome them.
Our recommendations to address the equality and diversity challenges in the programme includes, for ethnic minorities, more detailed exploration of prior qualifications and employability of those registered on the apprenticeship vacancies system, and support to enable applicants to successfully apply for vacancies. It also includes emphasis on apprenticeships as a route to professions as well as trades. Our research showed that for some ethnic minority groups, the message about quality is particularly important. Two further recommendations were an examination of recruitment strategies to understand whether there is unwitting discrimination or whether, with support from providers, union reps and/or union learning reps, small changes can make practices more inclusive, fair and equal; and the provision of role models to act as a source of inspiration and support to young people from diverse backgrounds.
Actions necessary to increase the representation of women in apprenticeships are well established. We reiterate these, and urge all apprenticeship organisations to consider what action they can take to embed them in practice. To increase gender equality in apprenticeships, what is needed includes better-quality, more in-depth and challenging careers education and guidance at an earlier age that, crucially, tackles occupational stereotypes. This should include information about how career choices affect future pay and progression.
And knowing about discrimination or division in an employment sector can deter people from considering that work, therefore more must be done to convince young women, as well as ensure, the door truly is open to them. Further, role models can be a powerful influence. Our research found that young women who enter non-traditional apprenticeships did so because they had family members working in the occupations. Widening ‘who’ influences young people beyond the immediate family is of critical importance and the lack of funding to support the costs of childcare while undertaking an apprenticeship also needs addressing.
Finally, supporting young people’s transition into the labour market is crucial. If they follow the academic pathway, they are highly supported; when they enter apprenticeships — which are, by definition, jobs — often young people ‘go it alone’.
More than 400 Merseyside learners filled Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral for what is believed to have been the UK’s largest apprenticeship graduation ceremony.
The venue, which also hosts university graduations, welcomed level three and four achievers across two ceremonies on Tuesday, April 29. Among them was Adam Hill, aged 21, who studied information technology at the Mercia Partnership independent learning provider and undertook an apprenticeship with Wirral-based IT repairs company Proper Geeks.
He said: “It’s great that we have been given the chance to experience a graduation ceremony and that we have a day dedicated to celebrating our hard work and achievements.”
WorldSkills 2013 gold medallist Ashley Terron was a guest of honour and told FE Week: “As a former bricklaying apprentice, I wish I could have experienced a graduation when I completed my qualification two years ago.”
The results of FE Commissioner David Collins’ inspections of failing colleges are to be made public, FE Week can reveal.
Dr Collins, who can call for college leaders to be stripped of powers and even advise the Skills Minister to shut a college down, took up the newly-created post in December, but his reports and recommendations have been largely kept under wraps.
However, a spokesperson for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) told FE Week: “The decision has been taken to publish summaries of the findings from the FE Commissioner to enable the sector to see and learn lessons from those that have been through the process.
“The timing of publication for each summary will be determined on a case by case basis and the first report is due to be published at the end of this month.”
So far Dr Collins has visited at least six colleges — K College, Stockport College, Barnfield College, City of Bristol College and City of Liverpool College.
He has also been to LeSoCo, but his warning of weaknesses in leadership at the grade four South London college failed to result in a change in either principal or chair of governors.
However, the weight of public pressure could now be behind commissioner findings with publication of his judgments.
Martin Doel, chief executive of the Association of Colleges, said: “There’s a difficult balance between ensuring that any information published following a visit from the FE Commissioner doesn’t disadvantage the college in question, and the need for openness and transparency.
“The department appears to have found a reasonable compromise.”
Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said: “There is no sense in keeping important transferable learning under lock and key at a time when the sector needs to improve its leadership effectiveness and the effect this can have on jobs.
“More broadly there is a real need for greater openness in the sector to learning from the things that aren’t working well, rather than seeking to bury these for fear of reputational loss or simply labouring under the mistaken belief that there is no other way forward.
“We’d rather colleges did not have to find there are other ways forward following a visit from the commissioner.”
The news emerged following an FE Week request to the Skills Funding Agency (SFA), under the Freedom of Information Act, for the commissioner’s findings. The SFA refused, but also said it “notes the currency of the information and the plans held by BIS to publish information relating to the outcome of the requested information, including the implementation of a process for publication”.
Dr Stephan Jungnitz, colleges specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders said: “The work that the FE Commissioner undertakes is of such significance that it should be transparent and open to wider scrutiny.
“The opportunity to learn from others is always welcome, it’s an important part of the quality improvement process.
“Hopefully the reports will be analytical, objective, and resist the current fashion for scapegoating individuals.”
University and College Union general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: “We need to see the details of these reports to better understand what has happened and to ensure we learn from mistakes.
“We were not the only ones surprised at how well rewarded some college leaders have been despite failings at their institutions.”
She added: “The time has come for proper transparency in the sector.”
The results of commissioner visits currently already carried out are expected to be among the first published.
A report that warned dual role college principals might not “understand” their chief executive duties has been welcomed by the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL).
The report, A New Conversation: Employer and College Engagement, by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES), The 157 Group and Gazelle questioned such principals’ knowledge of what their chief executive role entailed.
It noted that “many college principals use ‘chief executive’ in their title and when questioned described how they saw themselves having two distinct roles: the academic leader and the business leader.”
It continued: “We wondered whether more is needed to understand what being a business leader means in this context.”
Stephan Jungnitz, ASCL college specialist, said the paper was “a very welcome addition to the national debate on how we address the increasing need for vocational education and training”.
“Within the paper it is recognised that colleges have a pivotal role to play and that employers often need better information about how they can capitalise on these opportunities,” he said.
The information in the 24-page report was compiled through a series of interviews, an online survey, workshops and college visits over the last 12 months.
It said: “Not surprisingly leadership came out as the most important ingredient in a college’s ability to contribute to and drive economic growth.”
It also covered the role of governors, saying: “Governors make a range of contributions to the leadership of a college but we believe that there is more that can be gained, especially from those governors that come directly from the business world.
“Effective business governors can help colleges understand local business needs in much more depth, and, using their networks, spread the word among employers about how colleges contribute to the local economy.
“They bring clarity about direction, targets, priorities and expectations, challenging managers on what employer engagement really means in practice.”
It further made recommendations for future leadership development programmes, such as those currently being developed through Education and Training Foundation, saying they should aim to increase market understanding.
John Cridland, UKCES Commissioner and director general of the Confederation of British Industry, said: “Building stronger bonds between colleges and employers is no easy task, but with the launch of this new paper we hope to initiate a wider discussion and create a better future for all.
“By forging more links between local colleges and firms in their area, we can help ensure that colleges produce students with the skills and characteristics employers need to thrive.”
Lynne Sedgmore, executive director of The 157 Group, said: “We hope this seminal report will radically shift and improve employer and college strategic conversation and partnerships.
“We know how important it is to expand the good work already being done as well as supporting colleges to play an even more powerful role in local enterprise partnerships and localities.”
The report, published on Tuesday, April 29, and available on the UKCES website, further identified “discussion topics,” including the importance of the college in contributing to its economic community, and the need for employers to be familiar with the college and its offer.
Business Secretary Vince Cable delivered a speech last month at Cambridge University entitled Where next for Further and Higher Education? Mark Corney looks in detail at what Dr Cable said.
In 1976, Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan began a ‘great debate’ on education with a speech at a college in Oxford.
Nearly 40 years on, a Liberal Democrat Business Secretary, Vince Cable, asked where next for ‘further and higher education?’ in a speech at Cambridge University.
The speech calls for a shift from a low-skilled to a high-skilled vocational education and training system. It calls for greater specialisation of the FE sector and an expansion of national colleges. And it calls for colleges to have the power to devise their own curriculum and qualifications in line with universities.
But read carefully it is what the speech says about higher education, especially the funding of higher education, that really counts.
Essentially, the speech emphasises some of the critical, unintended consequences of our ever expanding and successful, higher education system.
Entry into full-time undergraduate higher education dominates the system, and the key year for entry is age 18. The pulling power of GCSEs and A-levels as the royal route into full-time higher education at 18 has resulted in a ‘hollowing out of our post-secondary provision’.
The ‘academic’ dominates the ‘vocational’ — unless practical learning is delivered by universities themselves — and they, of course, get the best young people and industry with the odd exception gets the rest.
A result of our ever-expanding full-time undergraduate higher education system — which will grow further when the cap on student numbers is lifted in 2015 — is the low number of students on vocational sub-degrees, especially part-time courses.
Another is the failure of successive governments to develop and fund employer-based higher apprenticeships (levels four and five) as well as undergraduate and master degree apprenticeships (levels six and seven).
England is out on a limb on the low numbers of young people and adults on high level vocational education and training programmes compared to other countries.
Although the language is less forthright, the speech reframes the policy debate.
Rather than ask how do we create a world class apprenticeship system, we must ask how do we create a world class apprenticeship given a large and growing full-time higher education system?
Rather than ask how do we create a mass apprenticeships system when the taxpayer spends around £1.5bn on them, we need to ask how do we create a world class apprenticeship system spending £1.5bn alongside a world class full-time undergraduate higher education system spending £15bn when taking into account tuition and maintenance funding?
And rather than asking what happens to adult ‘vocational education and training’ when the money runs out, we need to
ask how can the taxpayer continue to fund adult skills appropriately while simultaneously spending £15bn on higher education?
Indeed, the speech candidly highlights the competition for public funds between adult skills — adult apprenticeships and adult FE — and higher education.
In May 2010, when the Coalition entered office, cuts to adult skills were already pencilled in to protect the higher education budget.
But by turning grant funding for tuition fees for full-time students into loans, spending on adult apprenticeships was protected and cuts to adult FE much less than could have been the case. College and university leaders must look at higher education and adult skills funding in the round.
And the theme of greater college specialisation is a neat way to revisit the fact that maintenance loans and grants are not available to full-time adult FE students compared to full-time higher education students.
“As FE becomes more specialised,” argues Dr Cable, “we may need to think about provision for students studying for high level qualifications who may need to relocate to be close to national centres of expertise.”
Time will tell whether the Cambridge University speech of 2014 will attract the same level of interest and kudos of the Ruskin College speech of 1976, but it is surely one of the most thoughtful contributions to the future of English education and training for many a year.
Prison learning practitioners attended a conference organised by the Prisoner Learning Alliance (PLA) last month. Alexandra Marks outlines the FE and skills sector concerns that emerged.
Ofsted Inspector Stephen Miller, addressing a conference of 200 delegates including prison education professionals and managers, highlighted many challenges to those teaching in prisons — classes fluctuating as prisoners are released or transferred, learners possessing widely differing and complex needs, and many prison learners having been let down by the school system.
The conference, organised by the Prisoner Learning Alliance (PLA) to improve policy and practice, took place at Open University’s Milton Keynes campus on April 25.
Ofsted’s most recent annual report revealed that prisons came bottom in the whole FE and skills sector. More than half (58 per cent) of prisons Ofsted had inspected in 2012/13 were graded inadequate or requires improvement in terms of leadership and management.
This is hugely disappointing when we know that enabling prisoners to learn reduces reoffending by more than a quarter, according to new research on Prisoners Education Trust’s (PET) work by the Ministry of Justice.
When the cost of crime committed by ex-offenders is up to £13bn per year (equivalent to hosting the London Olympics annually), it is vital we do something about this.
PLA’s vision is that learning should be at the heart of every prison’s approach to rehabilitation.
We want to support teachers and encourage managers, governors and policy-makers to recognise the value of a wide range of learning opportunities.
Our conference presented discussions, workshops and three films of good-practice in action.
One of the key inadequacies troubling Ofsted is the focus on lower level qualifications in prisons, rather than enabling learners to progress beyond level two. We agree
The conference focused on the themes of PLA’s report, Smart Rehabilitation, setting out a blueprint for prison learning that is value–driven, outcome-focused and joined-up.
We were pleased to hear Mr Miller announce that this May, inspectors will begin a ‘support and challenge’ package for the 30 prisons rated as inadequate or requires improvement last year to help them move at least to good.
One of the key inadequacies troubling Ofsted is the focus on lower level qualifications in prisons, rather than enabling learners to progress beyond level two. We agree.
Basic understanding of maths and English is clearly essential, but once a prison learner is beginning to achieve and overcome his or her pre-associated fears of the classroom, we must encourage them with FE opportunities.
Ofsted has repeatedly said it wants prisons to have ‘the best teachers, the best managers and the best advisers to improve the quality of teaching and learning in prison. In February this year, a report by the University and College Union (UCU) found prison teachers weren’t getting enough support to do their jobs.
At the conference, prison tutor Ros Foggin, who has had a varied and extensive career working in schools and FE colleges described herself ‘the naked teacher’ with few resources to cover herself.
Often, she found herself the main, sometimes the only, resource. Trying to engage a challenging class for three hours at a time, without access even to a photocopier let alone other ICT tools, left her feeling adrift from teachers in the rest of the FE community.
Ros told delegates her three wishes for herself and colleagues; first, improved staff development opportunities; secondly, access to secure e-learning; and thirdly, a more enriched and holistic curriculum.
The idea of using informal support mechanisms resonated with other teaching staff at the event. During a workshop on developing excellence in prison teaching, a group of tutors discussed the importance of mentoring and debated the lack of formal teacher training for working in prisons.
PLA strongly endorses the need for improved resources and continuous professional development (CPD) in prison teaching.
After all, it is usually the belief a teacher places in a student that makes all the difference.
Alexandra Marks, chair of the Prisoner Learning Alliance (PLA)
One of last month’s interesting discussions was with colleagues from the Association of Colleges (AoC) and our own sports development manager around the increased promotion of fitness and wellbeing to students.
Any readers who’ve met me will have registered that I’ve hardly got the physique of a great athlete, and they’d be right. Captaining my school’s second badminton team to a number of defeats remains my proudest sporting achievement.
Perhaps it’s that which makes me even keener to see colleges with proper facilities and resources to offer a full programme of sporting activities.
There are significant issues with delivery, of course.
For urban colleges in particular, space is already tight, and while our college has invested time and energy in improving sports facilities, we are inevitably limited by our locations (whatever the other advantages they bring).
This is where partnership becomes so important, whether with other centres of education, with voluntary organisations, or with council facilities. Staff resources can also pose challenges, although the AoC and its partners have made great steps in supporting the needs of colleges.
Unlike schools, most of our students are part-time, so ensuring access at convenient times — and increasing awareness of the gym’s very existence — requires dedicated personnel and effort.
But if the challenges are great, so too are the benefits.
A recent study by the AoC found a “positive relationship between engagement in sport, future income and employability from both the employer and admissions tutor perspective”, and concluded that participation in sport was “a ‘good investment’ for students in both the FE and higher education sector”.
Other research, here and abroad, has confirmed this view. A 2007 study in Germany concluded emphatically that participation in sport “has significant positive effects on educational attainment,” but also pointed to lessons for policy and parenting: “Positive effects of sport activities should encourage politics to strengthen sport activities in school and out of school [and] parents should … encourage their children to get involved”.
More broadly than sport, there is growing evidence on the impact of other non-classroom activity on learning.
There is compelling evidence thwat the creative arts, for example, have a tangible positive impact on achievement in other subjects, and on a range of social measures such as community engagement and less boredom in education.
Like sport, the arts can also have a positive effect on attendance and behaviour.
For older adults, 2013 research by the Institute of Education concluded that those participating in music were happier, healthier and had more positive relationships.
Extra-curricular engagement, therefore, doesn’t just contribute to colleges’ core aims of improving student achievement, progression and employability, but can make students more rounded citizens with higher levels of wellbeing too.
The implications of this, for colleges and policy-makers, are therefore wide and evidence-based.
Colleges will clearly wish to focus on anything improving their students’ lives and experiences, but the capacity for FE to provide extra-curricular activities also meets wider goals on engaging with our communities and offering a service to a whole local area.
Of course, capacity costs. As every reader knows, colleges are facing a period of unprecedented financial attack, with cuts to various funding streams precipitating some difficult times ahead.
It may be tempting (and necessary), under such circumstances, for leadership teams to focus on what we believe to be colleges’ “core business,” but to underestimate the non-classroom aspects of that would perhaps be shortsighted.
Colleges, which have proud traditions of open access and of a holistic view of education, will doubtless want to find ways of continuing their commitment to extra-curricular activities — and the work of organisations like the AoC in supporting that are to be applauded.
Having quoted Enid Blyton in a previous FE Insider column, I’d hate to seem obsessed with the venerable first-form teacher Miss Roberts, but she might well have been speaking for FE colleges when she said that “there are other things as important as lessons”.
As the evidence-base — from our own knowledge and from research — grows and grows, we must make sure that cuts and policies do not damage this aspect of our students’ attainment and experience.
Former Rolls-Royce apprenticeships learning and development manager Neil Fowkes has been appointed director of apprenticeships and engineering at Derby College.
Mr Fowkes studied at Mackworth Tertiary College, which is now part of Derby College during his own apprenticeship, and has worked in engineering for the past 27 years, initially at International Combustion and then Rolls-Royce.
As lead for apprenticeships and workforce development at the Ofsted grade one-rated car firm, Mr Fowkes has worked in partnership with Derby College for a number of years.
He said: “I am joining Derby College at an exciting time both for the organisation and the regional business community.
Neil Fowkes
“Engineering and manufacturing is expanding in the city and beyond but employers face widespread skills shortages with their established workforce heading towards retirement.
“Employers are going to find it increasingly difficult to find the skilled staff that they need to retain and improve their competitive edge. Young people and particularly apprentices will become increasingly important to their business across all sectors as the pipeline of talent for future growth.
“And the challenge and opportunity for Derby College is to work more closely with employers to support them in the recruitment, training and development of these young people.
“The college is committed to expanding its apprenticeship programmes and its engineering provision to support employers’ needs both now and in the future.”
Derby College chief executive Mandie Stravino said: “Our core objective is to work with employers to ensure the training support that Derby College provides — whether at college or the workplace — meets their needs both now and in the future and provides them with the skills to be competitive and grow.
“Neil’s credentials of working with a global business and understanding employers’ training requirements will be invaluable as we develop our engineering curriculum for future decades and embrace the needs of businesses large and small.”
