Catherine Watt: I lead ECA’s Employment Relations, Skills and Growth Hub services, as well as ECA’s internal HR function. For Members, this means I am responsible for the teams that provide practical advice and support on managing people, developing skills, navigating change and growing strong and resilient businesses. My role focuses on making sure Members can access the right help at the right time, ideally before issues escalate, and that ECA’s support is clear, relevant and easy to use. 

Keith Sanderson: I am Head of Education and Skills at ECA. 

Felix Lynch: I work as a Growth Hub Executive, which essentially means I look after the day-to-day operation and organisation of the Growth Hub. 

Carolyn Mason: Provide strategic advice and input on industry and wider skills issues in order to support ECA’s strategy. Most of my time is allocated to my roles of Chief Executive of NET (National Electrotechnical Training) and Company Secretary and main contact point for TESP (The Electrotechnical Skills Partnership).   

Catherine: I have spent my career working in employee relations, HR and organisational development, advising organisations in complex, high‑risk and highly regulated environments. My experience spans day‑to‑day people management advice through to major change programmes, restructuring, disputes and governance. I combine strong technical and legal knowledge with a practical, commercial approach to help organisations apply advice confidently in the real world. 

Keith: I have 14 years of experience working within further education. I have held posts as a teacher, assessor, internal verifier, curriculum leader, curriculum manager, head of academy and a director. As a senior leader within further education, my role was to lead the curriculum strategy and engage with stakeholders ranging from employers to local authorities to ensure that educational offers met the need of the region. These skills have transferred directly into my role at ECA. 

Felix: I worked for a year in the Member Services team which gave me a broad understanding of our membership base, and what ECA can do to continue to support them. 

Carolyn: I have worked in training and skills roles in multiple sectors for around 40 years, working globally and with UK government and agencies, including leading qualifications development and industry skills strategies.      

Catherine: I have worked at ECA for five years, during which time my role has evolved alongside the organisation’s developing offer to Members. This gives me a strong understanding of the electrotechnical sector, ECA membership, and the practical challenges contractors face. 

Keith: 8 months. 

Felix: In total I’ve worked for ECA for just over a year and a half, having worked as a temp for around 4 months.  

Carolyn: Nearly 12 years. 

Catherine: The key benefit is access to trusted, practical, and expert industry support. My teams help Members manage people matters confidently and compliantly, build skills for the future and make informed decisions that protect and grow their business. Importantly, we support Members to think ahead and reduce risk, not just react when issues become urgent. 

Keith: We lead on the skills and education service at ECA and we support Members with their training and development needs. We lead on the Skills agenda nationally and are actively working to ensure that the sector has a more sustainable and future-proof workforce through our Electrotechnical Training and Careers Alliances. We also support Members through the Growth Hub, which gives them access to non-technical training such as managing contracts, estimating and tendering and managing your workforce day-to-day. 

Felix: The Growth Hub is a great benefit to ECA Members as it gives them the opportunity to partake in bespoke industry training, with financial support from ECA to cover the cost of these courses.  

Carolyn: A mix of practical, hands-on support - for example on training routes and qualifications and the behind-the-scenes activity to ensure that the skills landscape meets the needs of employers - for example, having the right qualifications, robust training pathways and seeking to influence funding provision.   

Catherine: Members contact us for support on issues such as managing performance, conduct and absence, disciplinary and grievance processes, dismissals, redundancy and TUPE, employment law changes, skills and training, and wider organisational or growth challenges. We always encourage Members to contact us early, when advice can prevent issues becoming more serious or costly. 

Keith: Support with their apprentices’ training, changes to the EAS and how it affects them and their business, and skills policy. 

Felix: Generally, I handle most of the incoming enquires regarding the Growth Hub. Often these revolve around the logistics of booking onto a course, Members’ annual allocations and which courses we have on offer. 

Carolyn: Understanding how legacy qualifications relate to current requirements. The Building Safety Act has significantly tightened regulation and it can be confusing for people to understand whether they meet industry recognised requirements and how to most effectively fill gaps. Also, general advice on skills and qualification issues, such as the standard of apprenticeship training, funding support and identifying the best routes to upskill staff.      

Catherine: Don’t wait for perfect conditions, focus on doing the right thing well, consistently. In people and business matters there is rarely a perfect answer, but sound judgement, clarity and proportionate decision‑making make a real difference. 

Keith: I received some great advice while trying to climb the ladder in further education, which was “If someone tells you that it can’t be done, it probably can.” 

Felix: Just go for it – which applies to new opportunities to learn, develop skill-sets or try new experiences. 

Carolyn: Take every opportunity - you never stop learning.  

Catherine: My superpower is cutting through complexity. I help Members get to the heart of an issue, understand their options clearly and move forward with confidence, without unnecessary jargon or over‑complication. 

Keith: My superpowers are fairly limited, so I will go with the ability to bring people together to problem solve. 

Felix: I enjoy learning new skills, so I feel comfortable getting to grips with new processes/software/concepts where I need to. 

Carolyn: Drawing on experience and knowledge - I have seen the UK education and skills system reinvented several times and have worked across multiple sectors - chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing, automotive, aerospace and advanced manufacturing.         

Catherine: Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with family and friends and finding opportunities to switch off and get outdoors. Having balance outside work helps me stay focused and effective in a demanding role. It’s an important counterbalance to a role that involves a lot of thinking, problem‑solving, and decision‑making. 

Keith: I support the Sheffield Steelers Ice Hockey Club, I’m a fair-weather cyclist, however most of my spare time is dedicated to managing my children’s ever growing social calendar! 

Felix: I’m a big music fan and play the guitar.  

Carolyn: Travel and horse racing are passions as well as spending time with my two grandchildren.