Performance Projects director Chris Horton says he looks forward to bringing the perspective of the tech SME community to the table after being appointed to the Silverstone Technology Cluster’s Board.

Chris said: “I’m delighted to have been able to apply and to then be appointed.

“My position is to represent the high-tech SME membership and to articulate what they are experiencing, acting as a bit of a conduit.

“There are a number of common themes that I feel resonate amongst SMEs, particularly on how we navigate staffing issues and the HR resources required to understand the plethora of options for apprenticeships, placements, graduate schemes and so on.

“I’m interested in helping to streamline all of that and to make it easier to adopt for the SMEs.

“Another area I’m quite passionate about is the HR challenges around working from home and remote working and how smaller businesses deal with that.

“How we offer positions, deal with issues and also create new opportunities for a wider talent pool for us all to work with…”

It’s an approach which fits with the STC’s recently announced ‘Skills’ workstream, designed to bring industry and educators closer together in order to address the skills gap.

“Certainly, many recruitment resources aren’t obvious or available to SMEs currently and this needs to improve,” added Chris, who more recently has sat on the STC’s IAG (Industry Advisory Group).

Notably, Performance Projects spin-off OxDrive recently won a high-profile award for its innovation in electric drive hubs.

Chris continued: “Joining the STC Board means a great deal personally and it feels good to be in a position to ‘give back’.

“It’s a deliberate two-year deal so there can be plenty of ‘churn’ as I represent different views in that time.

“I’m looking forward to making a positive impact for the SME and wider membership, so I’d really like people to engage and hear their views, hopefully make good progress and see the STC continue to grow and develop.”

By Carl McKellar