02 Feb 2023
SLR participates at the Shaping Portsmouth Conference 2023
Last Friday the SLR team had the privilege of exhibiting at the Shaping Portsmouth Conference 2023. It was a truly inspirational and humbling event packed with incredible speakers, charities, businesses, local government, and Armed Forces participants.
Purpose of the conference
This year’s conference slogan was Transforming Portsmouth Together. The mission of Shaping Portsmouth is to build sustainable collaborations and innovative programs aimed at elevating Portsmouth and ensuring it is a city that people want to visit, invest in, live, and work. Shaping has built programs over three broad areas: business, education, and community. The conference, therefore, invited speakers and exhibitors that would further these aims. Every one of Shaping Portsmouth‘s programs is aligned with the values that SLR Marine Recruit holds dear and that is why we agreed to become a patron of this incredible initiative.
Speakers and agenda
The conference was a massive success and was the biggest ever attended with over 200 businesses present, 385 attendees overall. This was the agenda:
Welcome and Introduction
– Stef Nienaltowski, CEO
– Yvonne Clay, Director for Marketing & Branding
08:45 – Introduction to Portsmouth Guildhall’s
Basement Renovation Project
– Andy Grays, CEO of The Guildhall Trust
08:55 – Portsmouth Football Club
– Andrew Cullen, CEO of Portsmouth Football Club
– Clare Martin, CEO of Pompey In The Community
09:20 – Shaping Portsmouth’s Education Pillar
– Stef Nienaltowski
– Hayden Taylor, Director for Education Programmes
– Sharon Burt, CEO of The Solent Academies Trust
09:50 – In Conversation With…
– Temporary Superintendent Paul Markham,
Portsmouth District, Hampshire Constabulary
10:10 – Networking & Refreshments
11:20 – City Council Update & Q&A
– Cllr Steve Pitt, Member for Culture, Leisure &
Economic Development
11:40 – Shaping Portsmouth’s Business Pillar
– Stef Nienaltowski
– Jane Lamer, Director for Business Programmes
11:55 – Portsmouth Historic Dockyard Regeneration
– Hannah Prowse, CEO of the Portsmouth
Naval Base Property Trust
12:10 – Shaping Portsmouth’s Community Pillar
– Stef Nienaltowski
12:20 – Disability Confident
– Led by Chris Hillman, Head of Employability and
Apprenticeships at Minstead Trust
12:35 – Shaping Portsmouth Awards
– Stef Nienaltowski
– Presented by Lord Mayor Cllr Hugh Mason
13:00 – Close and Networking
Every single speaker delivered a vision for Portsmouth that energised and inspired. The Armed Forces Covenant and the British Marine Academy apprenticeship are particularly close to our hearts. With National Apprenticeship Weeklooming, opportunities for young people to pick up tangible skills that naturally feed into the ambitions of the UK shipbuilding sector give an opportunity for SLR Marine Recruit to support the young people of Portsmouth.
Networking opportunities
SLR has always put the city of Portsmouth and its people at the centre of its recruitment vision. It is therefore vital that the team be given the space to interact with members of the public, and other like-minded businesses to promote conversations around our young people and transform the economy of the city. There were a couple of spaces in the schedule for this valuable networking time. The team loved speaking to visitors to its stand and we built valuable relationships and contacts and gained a greater understanding of how we fit in the overall vision for Portsmouth. The other attendees shared SLR’s enthusiasm for the sessions and there was lots of productive activity and connection between various organisations.
Awards
This was the most inspiring and emotional part of the conference. We were thrilled to see Roni Edwards receive an award for her incredible work to inspire young girls and women in the city.
We look forward to supporting her next month at the Inspirational Women of Portsmouth Awards!