Despite a busy month for the parliamentary calendar, we are delighted to have been able to continue at pace with IPT Fellowship visits throughout the month of April. With visits and briefings taking place across the country and across sectors, we take a look back at what has gone in the past 30 days.

The month in Fellowships began on 3 April when Rachael Maskell MP met with Screen Yorkshire in Leeds.  Screen Yorkshire forms the beating heart of the film sector in Yorkshire and the Humber, and this was Rachael’s second visit for her IPT Fellowship. Her first visit took place prior to the Coronavirus Pandemic, and Rachael retuned this month to learn about how Screen Yorkshire had taken on the challenges of the pandemic and how it has emerged stronger than ever along with its essential contributions to the vibrant creative landscape across the region.

April saw Dr Philippa Whitford MP complete her IPT Fellowship in Space and Aerospace with a visit to BAE Systems in Prestwick on 4 April. This visit saw Philippa take a tour of the facility to learn about their FalconWorks Regional Aircraft Programmes and their plans for engineering of the future. She met with early career graduates and STEM ambassadors, as well as trade union representatives.

During April, Yvonne Fovargue MP completed two Fellowship visits, starting on 10 April when she visited Dominos’ Supply Chain Centre in Warrington. This visit gave her an overview of the work of a supply chain centre in the food manufacturing sector and how it operates through a site tour. The visit concluded with a tasting of the products over a working lunch. Secondly, on 19 April, Yvonne visited Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) in Wakefield at one of their UK bottling plants. A site tour and presentation gave her a better understanding of the work that CCEP does and the operation that exists at their Wakefield facility.

On 23 April, Baroness Merron completed her IPT Fellowship with a meeting with Johnson & Johnson (J&J), a medical technology and pharmaceutical company with an extensive presence in the UK, employing 3,500 people across the country across 7 different sites. The discussion focused on regulatory processes, skills in life sciences and R&D, all in the name of improving access, uptake and innovation in the NHS.

On 23 April, Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge continued her Fellowship with a briefing with Tech UK focusing on the future of Artificial Intelligence. In addition to AI, Baroness Owen is also interested in Renewable Energy and Net Zero, and the following day she met with Orsted energy to discuss Onshore and Offshore Wind, Solar and Hydrogen potential in the UK.

Meanwhile on 24 April, Baroness Blake of Leeds CBE continued her IPT Fellowship in Energy with a briefing in parliament from Smart Energy GB. Through this meeting she got to better understand the role of Smart Energy GB, the work they are doing with Smart Metering, the progress they are making, the benefits they are achieving, and their campaign to continue to promote Smart Meters and their continuing rollout.

The month in Fellowships concluded on 25 April, when Lord Ranger of Northwood continued his Fellowship on fast moving industries with a visit to GS1 in London. Lord Ranger was able to gain an insight into what GS1 do, their industry and the future challenges and huge opportunities for barcodes and the QR evolution.