Public affairs mission statement 2030
Public affairs will play a crucial role over the course of this parliament in ensuring that the government can harness our expertise to engineer and deliver solutions to the challenges and opportunities that change will bring.
The recent launches of initiatives like Skills England and GB Energy, along with reviews of technology adoption and the national curriculum, represent significant steps toward reshaping the economy and enhancing the nation’s infrastructure. Each of these initiatives has substantial transformative potential, yet their success depends on the ability to drive foundational shifts in longstanding institutions and systems. Given the complexity and entrenched nature of these mechanisms, the implementation and refinement of these changes will be a gradual process, and it may take some time before the full impact becomes visible.
The launch of Skills England, for instance, aims to address workforce skill gaps and ensure that training aligns with industry demands. Similarly, GB Energy represents a push toward energy security and sustainability, positioning the nation for a greener future. Reviews of technology adoption and the national curriculum underscore the importance of preparing a tech-savvy, resilient workforce from the ground up. However, for these reforms to succeed, they must navigate institutional inertia, integrate with existing frameworks, and foster collaboration across sectors.
Ultimately, while these changes hold promise, patience and continued commitment will be required to navigate the challenges and realize their full potential. That is why it is more important than ever for the government to have access to independent, impartial, evidence-based engineering and technology expertise. Professional guidance, especially in highly technological areas, is critical to good policy-making.
Introduction
Our public affairs work communicates the engineering and technology expertise of our volunteers to external audiences. It influences policy for the benefit of our members and the engineering and technology sector.
This means engaging with policymakers and all those who influence policy – from MPs, Peers and civil servants to sector partners, the media and the public – in Westminster and the devolved Parliaments.
The public affairs team also provides political intelligence and insight to the IET Executive and external-facing teams, as well as leads the strategic coordination of engagement across the IET with parliamentarians and political audiences.
Mission statement
Public affairs campaigns to influence policy for the benefit of IET members, the wider sector and society, and communicates our policy work with politicians, officials and other people who shape the public policies that affect our membership.
However, it is not just a broadcast channel for our policy work. Public affairs acts as a strategic partner across the business, working with other teams who engage with external audiences. In addition to gathering political intelligence to inform engagement with policymakers, public affairs deploys data and insights behind political trends that could affect the IET’s reputation to provide political context and advice to external-facing teams, notably Communications and the Executive.
Whilst the main focus of our influence and engagement work is centred around the UK Government in Westminster, we also seek to develop relationships across the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to widen our policy impact.
Public affairs, as well as politicians, is responsible for developing and managing active relationships with external groups that influence policy, such as think tanks, trade bodies, and APPGs. This includes representing the IET at events, including roundtables and political party conferences, and leading the organisation of activities that engage these groups on behalf of the IET.
As a charity, we are bound by UK charity regulations on campaigning and political activity. Our work must be politically impartial and seen to be carrying out our charitable purpose, which is for the public benefit. Public affairs is responsible for completing the Scottish Lobby Register.
Launch of Public Affairs’ Mission Statement 2030
IET Director of Governance and External Engagement, Chris Knibb, said:
“Our new Public Affairs strategy reflects the opportunities of a change in government and the internal restructuring at the IET.
“By moving into the Governance and External Engagement directorate, Public Affairs is now well-positioned to drive forward campaigns to ensure that government policies support a diverse and thriving engineering and technology sector.
“Public Affairs will work closely with teams across the IET to ensure we take a more joined-up and strategic approach to our political engagement. This will be critical to building active relationships with policymakers across the UK, providing independent, evidence-led guidance and harnessing our volunteers to convene world-leading experts across a range of subject areas – from upgrading our energy infrastructure to meet net-zero targets to trying to keep legislation at pace with rapidly emerging technologies like AI.
“In times of political change, there is even greater need for institutions such as the IET to provide independent evidence-led insight and analysis to policymakers. By leading a strategic approach to our political engagement, the Public Affairs team will be crucial to achieving this.”