Kent & Medway Manufacturing Focus Group (KMFG)

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We prioritise the attendance of manufacturing and engineering organisations in the first instance at these events.  If we reach maximum numbers a waiting list will be put in place and you will be notified by email. 

** Only registered attendees will be admitted to the event ** Please book your place now to avoid disappointment.

Pictures may be taken at this event. If you do not wish your picture to be taken, please let us know ahead of the event.

Bookings will remain open until the event itself, but please note that if you book with less than 24 hours to go, your name won’t be on the “Signing in Sheet” and you won’t have a “Name Badge” on arrival.

Kent & Medway Manufacturing Focus Group (KMFG) is a networking and business group for Manufacturing & Engineering organisations across Kent and Medway offering a unique access to peers and colleagues, sector specific information, advice and support.

The group meets every last Wednesday of the month, either in person or online, see our website for details of future events https://kentemployerskillsplan.org/

KMFG is open to all organisations operating or directly supporting the Manufacturing and Engineering sector in Kent & Medway, whether they are chamber members or not.

Join us for our September KMFG at the Royal Engineers Museum, Prince Arthur Road, Gillingham, ME7 1UR

From 12-2pm

Lunch will be provided on arrival with tea and coffee as well as the opportunity to network with other local business representatives before our keynote speakers.

Book your place here.

Royal Engineers Museum (REM)

The Museum has been developed by the Corps of Royal Engineers over the last two hundred years and now forms one of the most important military collections in the UK.

Attendees will have the opportunity to explore the museum after our meeting to discover the story of the Royal Engineers and how they have helped the British Army live, move and fight for over 300 years.  The Collection contains over a million items that together tell a story that encompasses the extremes of human experience in peace and war as well as 300 years of military, engineering and scientific development.

Highlights including 25 Victoria Crosses, Wellington’s map of Waterloo, an amazing collection of bridge laying tanks, the world’s first guided torpedo, a huge piece of the Berlin Wall, Zulu, a Harrier Jump Jet and a deadly V2 rocket which have all contributed to Museum’s collection being designated as of historical and international importance.

Guest Speakers

Ian Hobbs, MKC Training

Ian is the Engineering Services Faculty Manager at MKC Training, primarily responsible for facilitating engineering training for Royal Engineer soldiers in Fabrication and Welding, Heating and Plumbing and Air Conditioning and Refrigeration.

An experienced engineer, Ian was a military Fitter in the Royal Engineers, and he was involved in military engineering in Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Canada, and throughout Europe.

In 2006 he decided to move into full time training and joined the Royal School of Military Engineering as a Fitter Instructor, training young soldiers to become Plant, Petroleum and Utilities Fitters in the Royal Engineers and then, in 2010, became Faculty Manager of Engineering Services.

Ian is a fully qualified teacher in the Lifelong learning sector and has a degree in Management.

Dean Edwards, MKC Training

Dean is Head of  the Construction Division at MKC Training, overseeing all construction training for Royal Engineer soldiers and officers.

He initially worked as a Construction Site Labourer, before embarking on a rewarding career in the Army, joining the Royal Engineers in 1986. He served globally as an Engineering Surveyor and taught young soldiers in his role as Senior Lecturer at the Royal School of Military Engineering, eventually leading all Survey Training.

After 24 years of dedicated service in military construction, he transitioned into a training manager role and, post-military, pursued further education, earning a degree in Education and Professional Training.

David Church & Melanie Lay, Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI)

RBLI is a national veterans charity supporting the Armed Forces, people with disabilities and people who are unemployed. We improve lives every day by inspiring those we help and supporting them to find work and lead independent lives.

David Church (Operations Manager) and Melanie Lay (Head of Sales) are based in their National HQ, RBLI Village in Aylesford, and will be presenting RBLI’s Social Enterprise to give an insight into their History, their Manufacturing Capabilities and their People.

Camilla Maurice, Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), Kent Invicta Chamber Of Commerce

Camilla is the Project Manager for the Kent and Medway Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) at the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce. The Kent & Medway LSIP works with employers and employer representative groups to identify the local skills needs and solutions to address them in key sectors, in collaboration with the local education providers.

Camilla will update you on the recent Kent & Medway LSIP Progress Report, approved by the Department for Education. The report outlines the collaborative work achieved so far in the region in our priority sectors, which includes Manufacturing & Engineering, the activity planned with our stakeholders moving forwards and how businesses can get involved in continuing to shape the skills landscape in Kent & Medway.

KMFG will enable the Manufacturing & Engineering sector to influence in a more concerted way the different agenda’s that are key to business growth and success.