December rounded off what has been a busy year for the IPT Fellowship Programme, with parliamentarians continuing their unique Fellowship journeys across the worlds of Aerospace, Food and Drink, Oil and Gas, Horticulture and Publishing. For the final time in 2023, we are taking a look back on the month and where parliamentarians visited to broaden their industry knowledge in the runup to the festive season.
The month in Fellowships began with Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle meeting with City and Guilds as part of her Fellowship exploring the UK Horticultural industry. Attracting talent and training to the workforce is essential to the future of this sector and the discussion focused on the different qualifications that are available for people interested in working in the industry. This was followed up with a visit to Cityscape in London with the Horticultural Trade Association, exploring the innovative ways urban spaces can be designed with green spaces and plants at their core.
On 5 September, Stephen McPartland MP visited Hachette Publishing in London with the Publishers Association, receiving a tour of Hachette’s premises and meeting with senior executives. With the increase of digital consumption, Stephen’s visit focused on the future of digital and technology in publishing and the growing presence of AI.
On 8 December Chris Clarkson MP continued his Fellowship in Green Energy and Aerospace with a visit to Cranfield Aerospace Solutions in Bedfordshire. The visit centered around how Cranfield are aiming to create sustainable aviation solutions specifically with their hydrogen fuel cell. It began with a roundtable discussion, followed by a visit to their Digital Aviation Research and Technology Centre at Cranfield University, where Chris got to see their research capabilities. The tour continued by visiting the aircraft hangar to see their B-N Islander aircraft that is being prepared for zero-emissions flight via a hydrogen fuel cell system.
On 11 December, Gary Sambrook MP continued his manufacturing Fellowship by visiting the Camden Town Brewery in Enfield with Budweiser where he learned about the key parts of the brewing process, along with the challenges of sustainability, supply chains and the circular economy. The visit concluded with a tasting of some of the beverages produced at the brewery, filtered and unfiltered.
The IPT Fellowship Programme of 2023 concluded with Baroness Sheehan’s briefing with the North Sea Transition Authority on 14 December. Her Fellowship is all about the future of the oil and gas sector and the transition to net zero, and to hear from the organisation involved directly in overseeing this transition was very useful to her Fellowship. The discussion covered the role that the NSTA plays, where progress is at, what can be done to reach the targets that have been set, and what the future holds for the sector.
This year saw the IPT Fellowship Programme go from strength to strength with over 145 individual engagements throughout the year. We saw eight parliamentarians complete their Fellowships, receiving their cartoons at our Summer and Christmas receptions. Finally, we would like to thank all our supporting organisations for their support throughout the year on the Fellowship Programme and to all the parliamentarians who have been involved in the scheme this year.