OWN Trust is very proud that our Estates Manager, Craig Phillips, was invited to take part in the Schools and Academies Show at the Excel Arena in London on Wednesday 1st May 2024.

Craig was asked to speak as part of a panel discussion in the Sustainability & Estates Theatre. The topic discussed was Who? What? Where? When? And Why? Competency In Estate Management.

The discussion involved the following panel members:

• Kevin Foster, Development Director, LocatED
• Kuda Mika, Facilities & Infrastructure Manager, Olive Academies
• Craig Phillips, Estates Manager, OWN Trust
• Robin Harrison, Facilities & Resources Manager, Rushcliffe Spencer Academy

 The chair of the discussion was Jo Marchant, Estates Professional at The Boxing Academy.

The topics under discussion were wide-ranging and varied and covered several topics:

Career Development 

1. How can we make a career for someone to join an Estates Team in the Educational Sector more appealing to the younger generation?
2. Hitting the ground running is vital for staff new to managing school estates. How does effective staff induction support this?
3. What do estates competency levels and career development look like in your setting?
4. What works better in small Trusts, a team of site staff working across all schools or dedicated site staff in each school? 

School Business Leader (SBLS)/Estates Professional working relationships

1. What are the synergies available from collaboration between School Business Leaders and estate professionals? 
2. How does a good working relationship between a CFO and Estate Manager benefit the Trust with CIF Bids?

Better resource management from collaboration between SBLs and Estates Professionals 

1. What additional skills do estate professionals need to provide better support on school estates strategy?
2. In what ways can school business leaders and estate professionals work better together to deliver improved estate outcomes?
3. What are the biggest challenges for estates professionals and school business leaders to address now and in the future?

The event was a great success, and Craig was a superb ambassador for OWN Trust.