Sir Seymour Biscoe Tritton Lecture: Training Engineers for Britain's 21st Century Railway Renaissance

Neil Robertson: CEO, NSARE

Neil Robertson joined the National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering in July 2015.
He spent the previous three years as CEO of the Energy & Utility Skills Group, where he helped the sector put skills on a stronger footing.

Prior to this he was at Babcock International and the British Institute of Innkeeping, after working in government departments including DfES and DIUS (now BIS) where he had responsibility for targets, basic skills, employability, qualifications, adult learning, ESOL and migration. Neil has also worked in the Government Office North East on economic development and with City & Guilds and at the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

Scott-James Eley: Skills and Employment Strategy Manager, HS2

Scott-James Eley joined HS2 in January 2013 after spending four years managing employment and skills programmes at the London 2012 Olympics. As part of developing an overarching skills and employment strategy, Scott’s broad remit includes areas such as HS2’s schools education programme, driving skills outcomes through procurement and the development of the new National College for High Speed Rail in Birmingham and Doncaster. Scott’s vision for HS2 is to ensure that the public’s investment in the programme will imprint a lasting skills and employment legacy that will remain long after the construction of the new railway is completed.

Simon Rennie: General Manager, NTAR

Simon Rennie was appointed General Manager for the National Training Academy for Rail in September 2014, a unique partnership between the public and private sector. The Academy is a multi-million pound state of the art flagship for Traction and Rolling Stock skills development. 

Since joining Siemens in 2001, Simon has been setting up and deploying large scale, complex and cross-border business services and technology operations, employing thousands of people in a diverse range of sectors including financial services, central government, broadcast media and health.