The Society for Education and Training (SET), the Education and Training Foundation’s (ETF) professional membership body, is celebrating the resounding success of its fifth annual conference, SET22 – the first to take place in person since 2019.
More than 320 colleagues from across the FE and training sector came together at the Vox Arena in Birmingham for the event on 17 January, chaired by the hugely popular Sarah Simons. Inspirational speakers included Bonita Norris and Judy Ling-Wong CBE, and delegates were able to access a variety of breakout rooms and visit a host of exhibition stands throughout the day.
Martin Reid, Director of Professionalism and Customer Experience at the ETF, commented: “It was a delight to return to Birmingham for our long-awaited and much-anticipated face-to-face SET conference. The event was a huge success and it was such a joy to be amongst sector colleagues as they took advantage of the opportunity to network and share experiences, ideas and inspirations with one another.
“I’m thrilled that 96% of respondents to our post-event survey said they would recommend the conference to others, and three quarters said the event had a positive impact on them. Thank you to everyone who attended and made the day what it was. We are already starting to think about our plans for the next annual conference and we look forward to working again with our members to deliver this.”
SET22 attendees reflected on their experience of the conference:
“A very positive, constructive, forward-thinking event. Helpful staff. Great catering too. Thanks for a great day.” – Megan Thoresson, SET Member
“I loved [the host] Sarah, she was excellent at engaging the audience, lighthearted and funny, it makes such a nice change from the usual speakers at conferences. The band [students from Orpheus Centre] were excellent and that was really heartwarming to see and a lovely addition that I’ve not seen at a conference before.” – Kat Korson
“The inspirational talk by Bonnie [Bonita Norris] at the start motivated me both professionally and personally and the performance by Orpheus brought tears to my eyes. The information and knowledge I gained provided lots to reflect on and discuss when I return to my organisation.” – anon
Find out more about SET membership on the SET website.