STEPH McGovern, the business face of the BBC, is returning to her North East roots to talk about the skills agenda and what needs to be done to address the regional gap.
Ms McGovern, who was born on North Tyneside and raised in Middlesbrough, is a former winner of Young Engineer for Britain so is ideally placed to speak about youth development.
She has been confirmed as guest speaker at this month’s Advanced Manufacturing Forum (AMF) event, where she will speak to business leaders, lecturers, students and apprentices about the importance of investing in young talent and what employers can be doing to better improve their succession planning agenda.
Ian Fawdon, Chairman of the AMF, said: “Steph McGovern is one of this region’s success stories and is extremely well-respected for her knowledge of business and industry, and the engaging and thought-provoking way in which she breaks news.
“The skills agenda is so topical at the moment and we’re all aware that as a region we do have a big problem with an ageing workforce and a lack of talented young people coming through that industry can tap into.
“It’ll be fascinating to hear what Steph thinks about the issue, and what we can do doing to tackle it. Having been named Young Engineer of Britain before moving into broadcast journalism, Steph is the perfect speaker to encourage an interactive debate on this hugely important subject matter.”
The ‘Steph McGovern Talks Skills’ event is being held on Wednesday, August 19, at South Tyneside College in South Shields. It is being delivered in partnership with South Tyneside Council.
Dr Lindsey Whiterod OBE, Chief Executive of South Tyneside College, said: “Steph McGovern is a sharp and intelligent presence in the world of business reporting and will bring tremendous insight into today’s economic climate and the need for investment in our young people.
“South Tyneside College is doing great work to train young people for careers in sought after professions such as engineering, not least with our partnership in Career College North East, a truly innovative and unique approach to learning. It will be very interesting to hear what Steph has to say about the UK’s skills agenda and how demand is being met.
“Our vocational curriculum puts us at the leading edge of provision across a wide range of learning in the North East, and it is good that our increasingly high-profile is reflected in the visit of such a well-known and respected business analyst.”
The event will also feature pupils and engineering apprentices from Zenith People’s Rising Star programme to give employers their first-hand stories of the benefits of taking on apprentices.
To book your place email jack.rae@advancedmanufacturingforum.co.uk.
