Advancing Skills for Manufacturing and Inspection

Jamie is Senior Policy Manager at Make UK, the manufacturers’ organisation representing more than 20,000 engineering and manufacturing businesses across the UK. He leads Make UK’s policy work and government engagement on employment and skills, ensuring the sector’s voice is heard on critical policy issues such as apprenticeships, STEM education and labour market reform. Prior to joining Make UK, Jamie worked for a political consultancy advising clients on policy and regulatory issues, including education providers, staffing agencies and manufacturing businesses, and started his career in the office of a Shadow Education Minister.

Don Atkinson has been involved in Welding for the last 49 years since he served his apprenticeship in the Shipbuilding Industry and for the last 36 years until he semi retired in 2024 Don has been involved in Training and promoting skills in Further Education Industry and Nationally as North East Regional Manager for the Engineering Construction Industry training board

Don has been involved with the Welding Institute for 36 years and he is currently President of the Welding Institute in Teesside and also Chairman of Skillweld UK

Richard's career journey started in the automotive industry at age 16, where he served his time within local technical colleges and franchised dealerships, attaining the position of Master Technician for Citroen & Peugeot in 1996 before moving into management. By 2004 Richard had oversight of several sites, and working for well-known PLC’s. In 2007 Richard decided to make a career pivot, moving into the Petrochemical industry, transferring skills and training as a Process Diagnostic & Instrumentation Engineer, realising extensive international travel both on & offshore. In 2013, Richard engaged in Subsea Inspection as a CSWIP 3.4u, subsequently leading to setting up and running several subsea inspection departments in Norway, Sweden & UK, including that of his own company in 2023.

In recent years, the emphasis has been on providing solutions, direction, and the development of remote technologies from robotic platforms for the offshore Inspection & Survey industry. Additionally, Richard have been a contributing member of the CSWIP 3.4u working group since 2018 & committee member of the CSWIP CISMIC since 2021.    

After completing an undergraduate degree in metallurgy and a PhD in materials science at the University of Birmingham, Claire joined the Doosan Babcock Welding Engineering team. She spent the next 12 years with Doosan Babcock managing and controlling a range of welding activities across operational sites within the UK and around the world (including Europe and the Middle East). These activities were carried out across the energy industry in nuclear and thermal power as well as petrochemical and process industries. In addition to supporting day to day welding activities, Claire also had responsibility for running a number research/development projects developing novel solutions to bespoke welding problems for clients.

In November 2021 Claire joined the UK Atomic Energy Authority as a welding specialist, she now acts as welding technical authority for the UKAEA and is involved with various programs focusing on the development of welding needs for experimental and prototype fusion reactors.

A professional member of The Welding Institute since 2013 with chartered status through registration with the Engineering Council, Claire became a Fellow of the Institute in 2023. She was a member of the Professional Board from 2019 to April 2025 and Chaired this board for 4 years from 2021. Claire is a Council member of The Welding Institute and is the current vice chair. In July she will step up to the role of Chair of Council.

Claire has a strong technical focus and is passionate about promoting STEM for young people and developing careers in engineering.

Joanna joined TWI Ltd in 1999, and has been involved in research, materials selection and failure investigations, mainly with ferritic steels. Joanna has also supported engineering critical assessment activities by undertaking post-test metallographic assessment on fracture toughness test specimens. She has also been involved in various aspects of computer modelling.

Joanna has broad knowledge of ferritic steels with particular emphasis on hydrogen cracking and hydrogen diffusion, HAZ hardness, mooring chain, fasteners, in-service welding and 9% Ni steels. She has carried out numerous investigations in these areas including failure investigation as well as production qualification and research. She currently serves on several BSI committees, providing welding and metallurgy input to the standards as required and lectures on the IIW/EWF diploma.