The Power of Apprenticeships
Driving Business Innovation
Join us for a panel discussion on how apprentices bring fresh ideas and practical capability to drive business innovation. Hear business leaders share real examples of how apprentice talent strengthens performance and competitiveness.
We’re excited to announce a diverse panel, including BBC’s Steph McGovern and F1 icon Ross Brawn OBE.
You’ll also get a chance to hear from:
- Katy Edwards (Managing Director of Chiltern Training Ltd), specialising in apprenticeship delivery across the Thames Valley.
- Katie Howard (Brand Experience Manager at John Lewis), currently undergoing a Level 5 Apprenticeship.
- Lydia Feasey (Engineering Manager at UK Atomic Energy Authority), Thames Valley Advanced Apprentice of the Year for 2013.
- Martin Dix (Stantec) and Vice Chair of the Construction and Built Environment Route Panel for Skills England.
Stick around for a Q&A to put your questions to the speakers, a meet and greet with Ross Brawn and a book signing with Steph McGovern. Pick up a copy of her latest thriller novel, Deadline.
Steph McGovern
Award-winning journalist and broadcaster Steph McGovern has worked in financial journalism for over twenty years, including eight years on BBC Breakfast. During that time, she travelled all over the UK covering economic news and broadcasting live from over five hundred businesses to uncover and explain the real economy.
Steph has presented and hosted countless other television shows including Have I Got News For You and is deeply involved in the community, running workshops with schoolchildren around the North East.
Originally from Middlesbrough, Steph started as an apprentice engineer at Black & Decker where, aged nineteen, she won the title of Young Engineer for Britain before studying at University College London. She then went on to become the lead producer of financial news for the BBC before becoming an on-air correspondent.
Currently, she co-hosts The Rest Is Money with Robert Peston, where they explore the economic issues that affect our everyday lives, decode business jargon and revisit some of the biggest financial events of the last half century.
Ross Brawn
Ross Brawn OBE is one of the most influential figures in the history of Formula One.
A long-standing Thames Valley resident, Ross’ passion for motorsport was ignited early with his apprenticeship at the UK Atomic Energy Authority in Harwell. This laid the foundation of a pioneering career that would shape the sport for decades.
He began his work in Motorsport at March Engineering in Bicester and later joined Williams Grand Prix Engineering in Reading, marking the start of an extraordinary trajectory.
Ross’s technical leadership was instrumental in the success of Benetton and Ferrari during the 1990s and early 2000s, where he masterminded Michael Schumacher’s seven world titles. Later, Brawn played a key role in shaping the modern era of Formula One as Managing Director of Motorsports for the Formula One Group, overseeing major regulatory reforms until his retirement in 2022.