| 24 July 2025
On 16 July 2025, Skills for Health (as part of The Workforce Development Trust) hosted a thought-provoking webinar: “Resilience in Action: Preparing your workforce for the threats of today.” Bringing together over five decades of combined experience in resilience and emergency preparedness, the expert panel explored what it takes to build a threat-ready workforce across both public and commercial sectors.
The panel featured three leading voices in the field:
Paul Netherton
Former Deputy Chief Constable of Devon & Cornwall Police and current advisor to the MOD and UK Government on resilience. Widely recognised as one of the UK’s foremost experts on civil contingencies.
Ben Crabb
Resilience Capability Lead at Serco Resilience and the UK Resilience Academy, brought his deep experience in public safety and crowd events to the conversation, with a particular focus on practical planning.
Graham Ellis
Former delivery lead for the UK Homeland Security Group National Exercise and veteran of the London Fire Brigade, spoke to the importance of multi-agency collaboration and preparedness.
A rising global threat landscape
Referencing recent findings from the UN Global Risk Report, the UK Government’s Chronic Risk Analysis, and the World Economic Forum’s Risk Report, the panel agreed: the level of threat facing the UK today is growing more complex. From terrorism to climate shocks to cyber-incidents, organisations need to stop viewing emergencies as unlikely events – and start planning for their inevitability.
Resilience is a community endeavour
Drawing on insights from the UK Resilience Framework, the Civil Contingencies Act, and lessons from recent national emergencies, the message is clear: resilience cannot be built in isolation. In today’s interconnected risk environment, organisations must move beyond internal preparedness and embrace collective responsibility. Cross-sector collaboration, shared planning, and trusted partnerships are now essential to maintaining continuity and protecting communities when crises hit.
Every organisation is a potential target
A powerful reminder came from all panellists: anywhere people come together is a potential target. Whether a shopping centre, hospital, theatre or office building, the risk exists. It’s no longer enough to assume “it won’t happen here.” Everyone in the workforce needs to feel empowered to speak up when something doesn’t feel right.
The value of a threat-agnostic approach
Rather than train for specific types of incidents, the experts emphasised the value of threat-agnostic training. That means focusing on common principles – such as the ‘Run, Hide, Tell’ guidance – and preparing staff to follow clear, rehearsed protocols. It also means knowing how to lead others in times of confusion and crisis.
Think beyond the incident
Planning doesn’t stop at response. The panel urged leaders to think broadly:
- How does your supply chain respond in a crisis?
- Do your customers know what to do?
- Can your staff regroup and restore service quickly?
- What does recovery look like?
Resilience is as much about recovery as it is about reaction.
Catch up on the full webinar below:
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