Following the General Election and the Summer Recess, the IPT Fellowship Programme continues in full swing. With the new parliament now in place and with many new faces on the green benches, IPT Fellowships continue with many of the new MPs signing up to the scheme. The work of the IPT to bridge the gap between the worlds of business and parliament continues to be important. We look back on some of those visits that have taken place during the months of September and October.

On 9 September Baroness Sater visited BTTC (Better Through Total Collaboration) as part of her IPT Fellowship in which she looks to gain a better understanding of CSR and employee volunteering. This visit allowed the Baroness to meet with and discuss volunteering with those employees who had taken part in the scheme. She got to hear their experiences, how it has benefited them, and how they continue to promote the scheme to other employees and businesses.

On 24 September, Baroness Blower continued her IPT Fellowship with a visit to Chickenshed in Enfield. This visit gave her an understanding of the work and importance of small, independent theatres but portrayed the pressure on finances and resources that these institutions face. She got to see the facilities of the theatre and speak with individuals who work and perform there.

Then, on 11 October Baroness Berridge visited one of Southern Water’s Water Treatment Facilities as part of her IPT Fellowship on the Water Sector. A tour of the site gave her an understanding of the processes involved in water treatment and the different stages. She also met with senior figures to get an understanding of the wider business and the future of the sector.

The 14th of October saw Lord Gascoigne begin his IPT Fellowship on Sustainability with a visit to MAG’s London Stansted Airport. As the visit centred around their work on sustainability, Lord Gascoigne got to see the work they are doing to promote nature and biodiversity around the airport. He also got to see how the airport is diversifying its operations to ensure Net Zero and other sustainability targets are achieved.

Finally, Richard Holden MP visited St James’ Place Wealth Management on 24 October as part of his IPT Fellowship about Financial and Business Services. This visit allowed him to learn more about the work they do in the financial services sector and the importance of the sector to the UK economy and growth.

We would like to thank all the businesses involved during these past few months in hosting parliamentarians as part of their IPT Fellowship and would also like to thank all those signed up to the programme.