Cranfield National Manufacturing Debate 2017

Cranfield’s National Manufacturing Debate brings together manufacturing professionals from a range of sectors to discuss and debate the current challenges in the industry. The event also encourages networking and collaboration across the sector to enable continued and long-term growth.

Following on from 2016’s topic – How can UK manufacturing growth match the best of the G7?, this year’s event will focus on the importance of Leadership and investment for manufacturing skills.

Within this central theme, the debate will address:

• What is the current UK manufacturing skills requirement across sectors? And how we compare against G7 countries?
• How the skills requirement is going to change in the future?
• Do we have the right leadership to provide the skills to UK manufacturing companies?
• Are we investing enough to deliver the future skills requirement?
• What should we do to achieve the skills required for UK manufacturing?

Overseen by chair Lord Alec Broers, the topic will be examined from a number of high-profile figures from industry, government and academia, including:

• Neil Carberry, director – people and skills, CBI
• Chris White MP, co-chair, All-Party Parliamentary Manufacturing Group (APMG)
• James Selka, CEO, Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA)
• Allan E Cook CBE DSc, chairman, Atkins
• Mike Rigby, head of manufacturing, Barclays
• Ken Olisa, chairman, Restoration Partners