The new regional chair for the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) is Stewart Maxwell, technical director at Aquaterra Energy.
The ECITB appoints Regional Chairs to ensure the needs of local employers are represented in decisions made around skills and workforce development programmes.
It also helps the industry-led skills organisation forge closer connections to businesses in those regions.
Originally from Glasgow in Scotland, Stewart has lived in East Anglia for 30 years after graduating in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Aberdeen.
He has had a long and successful career within the global oil and gas industry, holding positions in Asia Pacific and the UK for consultancies, service providers and operators.
Stewart joined Norwich-headquartered Aquaterra Energy in 2013 as technical director and has a pan-company remit to drive technical innovations, ensure all work complies with guidelines, and develop the next generation of engineers.
Stewart said, “I have always had an interest in skills development and held unofficial mentoring roles where I recruited and helped train engineers.
“The East of England is an important area to the country as a whole. People don’t necessarily appreciate this.
“As well as agriculture, for which it is known, it has always had an engineering base. This is a strong industrial heartland with oil and gas, nuclear and now seeing real growth in renewables.
“But we have seen a drop off in graduates coming into the industry. We need to enhance and develop trade-level skills across the region and widen the funnel to get people from all backgrounds into the industry.
“There is a great deal of work happening in STEM engagement and encouraging women into engineering. The industry needs to work together on this. I want to engage with employers across the region to better understand their needs and forge that closer collaboration.”
ECITB Chief Executive Andrew Hockey said, “I am delighted to welcome Stewart onto the ECITB Council and as our Chair of the East of England region.
“His experience and passion will be a massive asset to drive forward the skills agenda, building better connections with client and contractor companies across the regions and being part of the solutions to overcome skills gaps.
“Forging these close links with industry, through the ECITB’s Board, Council and regional fora, is the cornerstone of how the ECITB operates to ensure we understand the needs of employers across the ECI and determinedly work to meet these needs.”
About the ECITB
The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) is the employer-led skills body for the Engineering Construction Industry in Great Britain.
A non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Education, the ECITB works with employers and government to attract, develop and qualify personnel across a wide range of craft, technical and managerial disciplines.
It invests more than £20 million every year to enhance skills across the engineering construction industry, support growth through workforce training, and help to tackle labour shortages and skills gaps.