Experienced
Leadership

Lord Baker of Dorking CH PC (Kenneth Baker) was one of the most influential politicians of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, holding office across three decades and serving three Conservative Prime Ministers. He rose to national prominence when he became Secretary of State for Education, a post he held until 1989. During this time, he introduced the National Core Curriculum as well as staff training days, known to this day as “Baker Days”.

He also held the posts of Chairman of the Conservative Party and Home Secretary. He retired from the House of Commons in 1997 and was created Baron Baker of Dorking. As a lifelong advocate of technical education, he founded the Baker Dearing Educational Trust to promote the establishment of University Technical Colleges.

Robert is a widely respected champion of education, skills and apprenticeships. He served as Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education at the UK Department for Education from 2022 to 2024 and Minister for Skills and Apprenticeships between 2016 and 2017.

As minister, he led through Parliament legislation to help young people better understand technical education opportunities. He also chaired the influential House of Commons Education Select Committee and is currently the Policy and External Affairs Director of Make UK.

Paul, a HR and training professional, is a founding trustee and Chair of Lincoln UTC. With a 40-year career spanning the manufacturing sectors of computing, semiconductors, gas turbines and energy systems, he was most recently Head of People and Organisation with Siemens Smart Infrastructure in UK and Ireland.

Paul currently serves as a Trustee of Baker Dearing Educational Trust.

Simon has worked with UTCs and Baker Dearing since 2013, serving as Chief Executive Officer from 2019 to 2024. Under his leadership, student enrolment across UTCs rose by over 50% and the percentage of UTCs receiving 'Good' or better Ofsted (UK regulator) ratings doubled.

He is well-known in England as a thought-leader in technical education. Simon led Baker Dearing's first overseas advisory project in 2023. Simon holds a double First-Class Honours Degree in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge and a post-graduate diploma in Computer Science.

Lee has worked closely with Baker Dearing since 2019 to support the organisation's growth in publications, advice and analysis on all aspects of UTCs and technical education. Building on input from others on the Baker Dearing team, she authored the UTC Sleeve proposal for the UK Department for Education and responses to the House of Lords Education Committee on vocational study reform and youth unemployment, as well as Baker Dearing's guides to 'best practice' in employer-led technical education.

She led the research initiatives for Baker Dearing's first overseas advisory project in 2023. Lee was awarded a Bachelor's Degree summa cum laude from Princeton University in Slavic Languages and Literature, Russian Studies and Near Eastern Studies.