FEATURE SESSION:
COMAH Strategic Forum: A Strategy for Competence & Capability
Time & Location
Thursday: 11.30 to 12.00, Stage 4
Hosted by:
Cogent Skills
About this Session
The COMAH Strategic Forum (CSF) has launched a new workstream focused on the current and future state of process safety capability across Upper and Lower Tier COMAH sites and within the COMAH Competent Authority.
Led by Justine Fosh, CEO of Cogent Skills, the Capability Workgroup will develop a capability strategy to ensure that there is the right competence (knowledge, skills & motivation) and capacity (in the right places and at the right amount) for the safe management and effective regulation of companies impacted by COMAH regulations.
The CSF wants to hear directly from employers, particularly those with significant numbers of existing COMAH sites and those who have recently fallen under the COMAH regulations, to understand the issues they are facing with the training and development, and recruitment and retention of qualified and experienced process safety professionals.
Neil Smith – Session Host
Head of Workforce Development - Cogent Skills
Neil is a founder member of the Process Safety Management Competence Programme Board, and took a leading role in the development of the UK’s PSM Skills Strategy, supporting the development of the PSM training standards and assuring the programme is supported with the highest quality training provision since the establishment of the PSM programme in 2010. Neil continues to provide ongoing support to the PSM Competence Programme Board and Expert Panel.
Working in partnership with Cogent Skills expert training partners, Neil also leads the development of tailored and bespoke PSM training solutions for employers both within the UK and internationally, with clients including National Grid, Unilever, GSK, Tata Steel, British Steel, Centrica and Johnson Matthey.
Neil also leads the Cogent Skills team that supports businesses to evaluate and improve their approach to workforce competency management and supporting their development of sustainable competence management systems.
Justine Fosh
Chief Executive Officer - Cogent Skills
As Chief Executive Officer of the Cogent Skills Group, Justine is committed to ensuring science industry employers can access the workforce skills needed for success. With a background in skills development stretching more than 20 years, she is currently supporting a cross-sectoral transformation of the UK nuclear skills landscape.
Justine regularly represents the views of employers via a number of influential Government skills policy advisory groups and has a passion for developing STEM talent across the scientific sector.