As part of the Morgan Sindall Group, BakerHicks has spent over 60 years delivering innovative design and engineering solutions across the UK and Europe.
With over 1,000 employees from 20+ nationalities, the business thrives on high-performance, technical excellence, and multidisciplinary collaboration. Like many STEM-driven organisations, BakerHicks faced the challenge of developing leadership skills in a technically brilliant, but often people-management inexperienced, workforce.
Technical professionals often rise through the ranks based on their specialist skills, but stepping into leadership requires a different toolkit. BakerHicks wanted a solution that would help these new managers:
The goal was to design a learning experience that respected their technical backgrounds, while building the soft skills critical to leadership success.
The New Leader Development Programme – Designed for STEM Professionals.
Ashorne Advantage created and delivered a blended learning programme specifically aligned to the needs of STEM leaders. The approach recognised the analytical mindset of the audience, balancing structured frameworks with real-world application to ensure relevance and impact. Across three learning journeys, participants explored key leadership capabilities including:
By grounding the learning in real business scenarios and technical environments, participants could immediately relate the content back to their day-to-day roles.
Digital Learning
Bespoke online modules gave participants control over their learning pace and allowed them to reflect and prepare for deeper engagement during in-person sessions. This flexibility was key for technical professionals balancing project deadlines and client demands.
Face-to-Face Learning
At our premium learning campus, participants applied theory to practice through immersive workshops. Using real-world engineering challenges and cross-functional simulations, they developed skills in collaboration, influencing, and problem solving under pressure – exactly what’s required in today’s complex STEM environments.
From Specialist to Leader – The Impact
The programme delivered measurable impact for both the individuals and the organisation. It equipped STEM professionals with the confidence and capability to lead people, not just projects.
At BakerHicks, we are dedicated to developing our employees to help them excel in their roles and achieve personal and professional growth. Through our partnership with Ashorne Hill, we have been able to design this program and allow our new leaders to acquire essential skills to help them build confidence outside the internal environment and provide a safe space for them to address concerns and gain knowledge from diverse perspectives.
Tatiana Petroni, Learning & Development Manager at BakerHicks
The Ashorne Advantage approach speaks directly to the unique pressures of technical leadership:
If your STEM business is ready to unlock the leadership potential of your people, we’re ready to help.
If you’d like to have a chat with a member of our L&D team to find out more, get in touch to arrange a call back.
