Event Itinerary
Day 1 Day 2 Meet the experts
Session 13
Wednesday 17 March, 9:50 AM
Skills for the Future
Industry, academia and government have a shared responsibility to build a workforce fit for the future in Manufacturing. Join Siemens to hear about their journey over the decades and learn about how they are working with their stakeholders to drive change for generations to come. Gain insight from an Apprentice that started his career over 40 years ago to an Apprentice that started her career last year and hear from Siemens skills ambassadors, Brenda Yearsley and David Thomas about why it’s critical we continual invest in skills for the future and why we have a collective responsibility.
Brenda Yearsley
UK Education Development Manager, Siemens
Brenda has responsibility for the national Siemens Education* portfolio, working with stakeholders to attract, encourage and engage young people into choosing STEM options thereby consider a career in engineering, technology and sustainability. After Grammar School, Brenda began her career, aged 16, as a British Aerospace Apprentice advancing to Senior management, leaving nine years later to gain a PGCE and a career in lecturing and teaching before joining GM Chamber’s Education Business Partnership as a Teacher Development and Employer Liaison Manager working with major employers on education business link strategies.
Brenda sits on OCR’s Strategic Advisory Board, EngUK Business and Industry Panel, MTA Education & Development and Technical Committee member, City and Guilds T-level Industry Board, Pearson’s Employer Partnership, BiTC’s Curriculum Taskforce, Northern Powerhouse Education & Skills Committee and previously a Curriculum Governor amongst other strategic advisory roles.
David Thomas
Training and Development Manager, Siemens
Dave is responsible for the Learning & Development function at the Siemens Manufacturing facility in Congleton and the Siemens Digital Industries Apprenticeship & Graduate programmes. Passionate about supporting people with their professional development and lifelong learning, Dave works alongside senior leadership teams to understand their future skills and resource requirements to provide a skills pipeline to help the business achieve their strategic goals.
Dave joined Siemens as a Graduate Engineer after studying Aeronautical Engineering at Loughborough University. He spent 4 years as a Production Engineer focussed on helping the facility delivery quality, cost & delivery targets before joining the Manufacturing Innovation (I-Factory) Team in understanding how Industry 4, Digital Enterprise Software & Advanced Manufacturing technology could enable Congleton in delivering a customised product.
Involvement in the Congleton I-Factory team then led to Dave leading the Organisational Transformation People Strategy and subsequently the Learning & Development Team, expanding his responsibilities in 2016 to include the Digital Industries Division Apprenticeship Program and in 2019 the Graduate Program.
Prof. Alan Norbury
Chief Technologist, Siemens
Professor Alan Norbury is the Chief Technologist for Siemens plc Digital Industries division - a leading global supplier of industrial plant and software, manufacturing automation and drive technologies to industrial customers across the UK and Ireland.
Since 2011 Alan has worked closely with the High Value Manufacturing Catapult Centres.
As Chief Technologist he dedicates his time to developing leading technology innovation to benefit Siemens UK manufacturing facilities and Siemens industrial customers.
Alan is a regular Industry 4.0 keynote speaker, Visiting Professor at the University of Nottingham, Chartered Engineer, Fellow of the Institute of Engineering & Technology, Fellow of the Institute of Innovation and Knowledge Exchange, member of the IET Design and Production Sector Executive Board, Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre Board, Liverpool City Region Advanced Manufacturing “Making It” Board and Cranfield University Industrial Advisory Board.
Sian Court
Higher Degree Apprentice, Siemens
Sian is based at the Siemens’ Congleton factory where she started her career in 2017, responsible for running IT courses for colleagues who aren’t used to the rapidly changing digital world.
Over the course of her Apprenticeship, Sian has been the Managing Director of the Junior Factory and won multiple awards including RateMyApprenticeship Outstanding Higher Degree Apprentice of the Year and MAKE UK North West and National Rising Star Business Apprentice of the Year.
Sian is also part of the Siemens SeeMe campaign that celebrates cultural, ethnic, sexual, gender and ability diversity within the STEM community; discusses stereotypes and misconceptions; and, explores some of the perceived barriers to pursuing a STEM career.