Sarah Smith MP visits the GBSIoT Hub | News | University College Birmingham

June 2025

MP visit champions collaboration as key to changing outcomes for young people

By Claire Huggins

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‘Collaboration’ was the word on everyone’s lips when Professor Rosa Wells, FE Principal and Dean for STEM, welcomed MP Sarah Smith to the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Institute of Technology (GBSIoT) Hub.

Sarah's constituency is Hyndburn and she is also the government's Mission Champion for Opportunity.

They were joined by Suzie Branch-Haddow, Vice Principal External Development at BMet College and Fiona McGarry, Sector Engagement Manager at Enginuity, the charity that’s working to close the skills gaps in engineering and manufacturing.

As a government-appointed Mission Champion, part of Sarah’s role is to break down barriers to opportunities for young people across the country, regardless of where they were born, and she is passionate about promoting work as an achievable and valuable outcome: “80% of people live and work close to where they went to school." said Sarah Smith.

“If we want to change people’s attitudes towards work, we have to change the opportunities for work. This is increasingly challenging for people who come from disadvantaged, care or SEND backgrounds.

“We’re only going to change outcomes through collaborations, and I see the work of the Institutes of Technology like this one, as key to this aim.”

Sarah enjoyed meeting students as she toured the GBSIoT Learning Factory; the site boasts Europe’s largest cyber physical manufacturing rig, where technology is brought into the classroom to create a real-life factory workspace as part of its dynamic teaching and learning environment.

Discussions included the work being done to position the engineering and manufacturing sectors as inclusive places to work, with varied opportunities for career progression. Role models such as Kathryn Hornbostel, inclusivity toolkits for employers, male allyship in post and across the sector, were all held up as positive influences on widening participation and encouraging young people into the sectors.

“If we’re going to engage and encourage young people into engineering, if we’re serious about bridging the skills gaps employers are telling us they desperately need, collaborations like the GBSIoT have a vital part to play,” explained Rosa Wells.

“When schools come to us not knowing how to approach an employer to support their students – we’re here to help. And when employers are keen to tap into the wealth of skilled and enthusiastic young people on their doorstep, but don’t know where to begin, the GBSIoT forges those links.”

"We’re only going to change outcomes through collaborations, and I see the work of the Institutes of Technology like this one, as key to this aim"

Sarah Smith Labour MP for Hyndburn and Haslingden

University College Birmingham are one of seven collaborating stakeholders in the GBSIoT that includes Aston University, Birmingham City University, BMet, Solihull College & University Centre, South & City College and the University of Birmingham.

The GBSIoT is a sector connector, bringing further education, higher education and local businesses together to boost growth, diversify workforces and crucially, offer a clear progression route for young people into placements, employment or additional study.

“Government investment coupled with our stakeholders from local business and education establishments means we’re able to offer the very best in technical education,” said Faye Kent, Marketing and Outreach for GBSIoT.

“Industry-standard training and qualifications make for mutually beneficial short- and long-term gains for students, for business and for the region. We were delighted to be able to host Sarah and are grateful for her support for expanding opportunities for learners.”

You can read more about the work of the GBSIoT here.

Main photo:

L-R: Suzie Branch-Haddow, Vice Principal External Development at BMet College, Sarah Smith, MP for Hyndburn, Rosa Wells, FE Principal and Dean for STEM at University College Birmingham and Fiona McGarry, Sector Engagement Manager at Enginuity.