A New Year brings a fresh new look for GAMBICA’s Young Council, as they rebrand to GAMBICA NextGen – a more fitting name for a group that has developed into a cross industry benchmark for enthusiastic future leaders.

The end of 2024 saw NextGen deepening their understanding of how governmental policy supports UK businesses, exploring the UK’s Green Paper on a Modern Industrial Strategy. Council members attended a parliamentary reception at the House of Lords where government representatives outlined plans for the UK’s Industrial Strategy and highlighted the vital role manufacturing will play in shaping the nation’s future.

A core message of the Industrial Strategy is the importance of inspiring the next generation of engineers – a well-known challenge faced by all engineering businesses. NextGen has been collaborating with Neil Fullbrook, Chair of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) STEM Group and Director of Cadence PR & Communications, to explore how the language used around engineering could be limiting the ability to inspire pre-career students and early-career professionals.

Alongside the engagement with national strategy, NextGen have been hard at work continuing to develop their own initiatives aligned to the strategic goals of GAMBICA member industries. The Upskilling Working Group has fully developed their upskilling pledge and will be inviting GAMBICA member to sign up and celebrate the ways they support staff to foster a culture of learning, growth, and innovation. Members of the NextGen council will visit pledge signatories to recognise their achievements and share best practice across the GAMBICA community. Keep an eye out for sign-up details to get involved!

Thanks to the NextGen STEM Working Group, GAMBICA is now a signatory to the Tomorrow’s Engineers Code further underscoring our commitment to inspiring future generations through STEM outreach and supporting young people entering the engineering and technology workforce. Meanwhile, the Sustainability Working Group will spend 2025 helping individuals understand their environmental impact through their ‘My Impact’ project and guiding both individuals and businesses towards more sustainable practices.

Building on their fresh identity and collective drive, GAMBICA NextGen will continue to broaden their knowledge and influence, becoming the next generation of leaders within the GAMBICA community.