LCCA recently hosted the latest First Friday Press Club, bringing together more than 20 leading trade journalists and editors for a high-level media briefing exploring “A Blueprint for a Robotic Workforce” – a conversation placing skills, talent development and workforce readiness firmly at the centre of the UK’s robotics agenda.
Organised by specialist PR agency Cadence Industrial & Technical Communications, the long-running First Friday Press Club series connects industry experts with the media to examine the developments shaping industrial, engineering and STEM sectors.
The panel brought together voices from across industry, academia and policy, including representatives from NVIDIA, Manufacturing Technology Centre, NatWest, Tech UK, VEX and STEM for Kids UK. LCCA was represented by Associate Dean of Games, David McGreene, who offered perspective on how education can respond to the rapidly evolving demands of emerging technologies.
A central theme throughout was the growing skills gap limiting the UK’s ability to scale robotics and automation. With the UK currently ranking 24th globally for robot adoption, workforce readiness was identified as a key barrier to investment, particularly among SMEs, alongside the need for a more connected ecosystem spanning technology, infrastructure and talent.
To address this, David highlighted the role of skills-focused education as a means to make meaningful steps, drawing on LCCA’s real learning for real life approach. He also outlined the ways in which games education can act as a gateway into a wide range of STEM career paths, by enabling students to build transferable skills and resilience in areas such as systems thinking, programming and AI-ready problem-solving.
The importance of early-stage engagement was brought into sharp focus through the contribution of STEM for Kids UK , whose work centres on building a stronger pipeline of future workforce talent. Their presence within a wider industry and media discussion reinforced the need to connect young learners with the sectors they will go on to shape. This was brought to life through a live showcase from one of their student teams, who presented a robot they had built from scratch – demonstrating how hands-on learning develops resilience, creativity and teamwork in practice. As national competition winners, the team are now preparing to compete at the VEX IQ World Robotics Championship, taking those skills onto a global stage.
Bringing conversations like this together is central to LCCA’s mission. Connecting industry, education and emerging talent to explore how the next generation of skills can be developed through real, practical pathways.
Reflecting on his experience on the panel, David McGreene said: “It was a great opportunity to contribute to discussions on the future workforce, be part of such a strong panel, and highlight how skills developed through creative education, from problem-solving to adaptability, translate directly into emerging and technical industries. Seeing the STEM for Kids team showcase their work brought that conversation to life and made for an inspiring look ahead.”
