The Train to Fit programmes take professionals from varied areas throughout the industry and bring them altogether for a dedicated period of training to upskill them directly for new roles in an organisation. Trainees are recruited by Experis, undergo training with us for a five to ten week programme, and are then deployed directly into a role at their new organisation – confident in their new skills and ready to hit the ground running. On this occasion, we were supporting the upskilling of 16 new supportability engineers for Babcock over five weeks. Previous careers of the trainees included the military, planning, manufacturing, amongst many others.

Scarecrow provided training in Systems Engineering, Soft Skills for Engineers, as well as coached the trainees through their final project and presentations delivered in the last week to key stakeholders of the programme. The presentations were a great success with Babcock pleased with the extensive and thorough work completed by the candidates. We worked with TFD Europe on this programme who delivered the supportability aspects of the training.

Our trainees all worked hard to overcome and achieve their own learning goals through the five weeks, with some of them even conquering their fear of public speaking to deliver the final presentations. We are very pleased with the growth they have shown and wish them all the best for their new careers in supportability!

If you are interested in a Train to Fit programme please get in touch with us or directly with Experis UK. These programmes are great ways to build up talent for a specific role and address the skills gap challenges facing many teams in the industry.

Image below is from final week ice cream treat – as a welcome relief from final presentation prep!

Our own Scarecrow Mike has just got back from two weeks of training on site with clients alongside Constantin Neacsu from Dassault.

‘It’s been great helping people understand the tools and to ensure their processes are in the driving seat. Thanks to Constantin for his support, and looking forward to being able to offer this to more clients.’ – Mike Brownsword

If you are looking to use CATIA Magic or Cameo in your organisation, need to train more staff to use an existing tool, or as part of a wider drive towards an MBSE approach, you can get in touch with us to discuss at enquiries@scarecrowconsultants.co.uk or the contact page on this site.

And of course, if we are talking about tools…. here is a special SysML-anary from Mike of course drawn using CATIA Magic. The clue is ‘also known as’

Mike, Jon, and Jess were all there to meet attendees at the Scarecrow stand. It was great to see old friends as well as meet many new friends and people we’ve only previously ‘met’ on LinkedIn…! Jon chaired the final panel session, discussing ‘Is SysML v2 a Silver Bullet for Industries?’. It was a fantastic event with a lot of good discussion generated. 

The team at Dassault have long supported our own MBSE Events, and it was actually a discussion after our MBSE Phantasmagoria that led them to host an event of their own. Thank you to the team for inviting us, and we look forward to having you back at our 2026 event – working name MBSE Sharkfest…

Scarecrow Consultants were thrilled to host the first ever Adventures in Systems Engineering Industry Summer School 1st-5th September at the Birmingham and Midland Institute in Birmingham. The week was a roaring success, with evil sorcerers vanquished, friendships made, and a lot of laughs together along the way.

We were joined by Adventurers from all over the UK and US from a variety of different backgrounds and industries, from new university students to established industry trainers. Over the course of the week we completed the Adventures in Systems Engineering training course, that takes attendees through the full engineering life cycle and the Systems Engineering activities at each phase. The material covers everything from stakeholder engagement, through definition of context, requirements, interfaces, onto design work, and eventually testing, verification and validation.

Teams have to work together to create a rescue system to save elves from a cursed village surrounded by a treacherous enchanted river. The designs from teams this year were: a huge crane to lift the elves out and swing them back over the river, and a giant inflatable bridge stretching across the river for the elves to bring themselves to safety.

As well as the training, we also had a ‘Systems Thinking Scavenger Hunt’ around central Birmingham that kept the trainers on their toes as teams answered clues and completed challenges a lot faster than we anticipated..! This was to practice applying big picture thinking, from all the different stakeholders of different systems, rainy and sunny day scenarios, and assessing the full life of systems and how its functions might change over time. There was also a session after the training about ‘Where next’ and how adventurers can continue their Systems Engineering learning through a variety of resources, IfSE and INCOSE, and further training.

The Summer School was the first time Scarecrow has put together a fully residential format for one of its courses, and so there were also evening activities and meals together throughout the week. Our activities started with a movie night in the BMI’s theatre watching A Knight’s Tale, made even more special by BMI Dan putting out proper cinema popcorn boxes out for us. This was followed the next night by a lively session of axe throwing (some adventurers are clearly lying about having never attempted it before…) and on the final night, a celebratory ‘castle’ feast at Albert’s Schloss. We all squished into their photo booth to remember the week and our experience together – evidence shared below!

We had such a wonderful time running the Summer School but don’t just take our word for it, here is what our attendees had to say:

‘On arrival we were met by the Scarecrow team, and immediately felt at ease. The course was not rushed, and there were plenty of opportunities to share experiences. The course was really interactive and fun. It was great to have different Scarecrows in each day. We were well looked after all week.’

‘I had a lot of fun getting to know people experienced in the industry and learning the basics, how they are implemented, and understanding where and why to implement them. The social aspect was incredible, with really fun evenings out that included well-chosen events and a great environment to network in.’

‘An excellent, insightful and enjoyable demonstration of the value of Systems Engineering and how it applies to the entire lifecycle.’

‘Had a fantastic time delving into the Systems Engineering world with the great team at Scarecrow’

Thank you so much to all who attended and supported the Summer School. We cannot wait until next year!

16th July marked the end of INCOSE UK as after many years of planning, it became the Institute for Systems Engineering. Given the close relationship between Scarecrow and INCOSE UK, now IfSE, Jon shares a few reflections to mark this momentous change.

With the dawn of a new era, my mind went back around 26 years to the first time that I got involved with INCOSE and, subsequently, INCOSE UK.
My first interaction with (big) INCOSE was the International Symposium in 1999, which was held by the sea in beautiful Brighton. There were a few thousand delegates and all the big names in Systems Engineering from across the world.
My first interaction with INCOSE UK was in the Autumn of 1999, in a room above a pub in Swindon. There were around 20 delegates including several of the biggest names in Systems Engineering from across the UK.
Since then, INCOSE UK has evolved from a group of like-minded, passionate individuals into the Professional Engineering Institution known as the Institute for Systems Engineering.
Over the intervening quarter-of-a-decade, I have had the honour and privilege of meeting and, in some cases, working with some of the true legends of Systems Engineering, including: Philip McPherson and my dear friend Stuart Arnold, both of whom are sadly no longer with us, Derek Hitchins and Peter Brook, to name but a few.
Over the last few decades I have met many new colleagues, many who have become life-long friends, as well as some people who have not become friends! Luckily, the ratio is very high in one direction!
I have been directly involved with INCOSE UK for the last 12 years in my capacity of Technical Director which, to put this into perspective, is almost a third of my career and almost a fifth of my life. Over these 12 years I have seen off seven Presidents and have seen Systems Engineering emerge as a true engineering discipline, which is finally getting the recognition that it deserves. This is due to the hard work and dedication of the many volunteers and also of the unfaltering (and often under-appreciated) Secretariat.
INCOSE UK will never quite be dead, but long live IfSE, and here’s to a bright and brilliant future with the next generation of Systems Engineers!

ifse.org.uk

‘I attended the Conquering Complexity event in Zurich earlier this week. It was a fantastic event, run by Mike Johnson of SE-Training. There were over 100 delegates, with a number of speakers discussing all aspects of complexity, as applied to Systems Engineering. I ran a workshop on visualising complexity using modelling techniques that was very well received with excellent participation form all involved. Overall, a great couple of days – thanks Mike!’

Scarecrow Consultants were delighted to host their first ever SysML Pub Quiz this April, at the Birmingham and Midland Institute.

We welcomed teams from organisations across the country, who arrived ready for a day of modelling mischief at the (fictional) Scarecrow and Rabbit pub. Teams took on questions about key notation, a number of SysML diagrams, and fundamental understanding of Model-Based Systems Engineering.

We had great feedback from the event, with participants saying they enjoyed the lecture and discussion type format of theory sections, and the informal pub quiz feeling. Due to popular request we have immediately started running the pub quiz directly in organisations, for those looking to develop their modelling skills and understanding of SysML. If this is of interest to you please email enquiries@scarecrowconsultants.co.uk to discuss.

Highlights of the trip include meeting with our great Dutch colleagues again, recording in a beautiful sunlit studio in the woods, and a new favourite – plenty of gronigerkoek (like a gingery malt loaf or tea loaf) to fuel the hard work. Some behind the scenes photos from the shoot are included below.

We look forward to continuing our relationship with the High Tech Institute and sharing more of our courses with an international audience.

The first is a three day, remote course on Tuesday 8th – Thursday 10th July, and is specifically aimed at anyone in full or part time education (students, apprentices, interns, career returners or changers). This course is offered at a special reduced rate and will take place online to target those new to the profession and those who may otherwise be unable to engage in extra curricular summer experiences relevant to their course of study. If you are connected with any universities or colleges, please share widely so we can reach as many students as possible.

Tickets for the STUDENT course, can be booked here

The second summer school is a five day, fully residential course on Monday 1st – Friday 5th September in Birmingham. This edition includes not only the training course in the ticket price but also hotel, all meals, and evening activities such as axe throwing. This is open to all industry professionals who may benefit from the course but in particular early career professionals or graduates. Should you need help to convince a manager to send you on this course, please contact jessica.korzeniowska@scarecrowconsultants.co.uk for a slide pack about the content, benefits, and philosophy behind the Adventures course.

Tickets for the INDUSTRY course can be booked here.