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Free support to tackle your business’s recruitment and retention issues

Research by the Open University and the British Chambers of Commerce shows that 73% of UK organisations are facing skills shortages.

Michelle Rainbow, Skills Director at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP) explains how workplace learning can help businesses overcome shortages, and shares details of support on offer for businesses in the North East.

Evidence tells us that, nationwide, businesses are finding it difficult to recruit the skilled staff they need. And we know this is an issue for firms here in the North East as well.

How can businesses take practical steps to overcome these problems?   

The recommendations given by the Open University and the British Chambers of Commerce include exploring how apprenticeships and higher technical qualifications – including T Levels – can help you plug skills gaps and create a culture of lifelong learning in your business.

For businesses based here in the North East, there is good news: we have free, expert support on offer to help you find out how apprenticeships and T Levels could work in your business, and free tools and resources you can use to put them in place.

If you’d like to take advantage of this offer, your first step should be to sign up to two events which are coming up next week, during National Apprenticeship Week 2024.

Firstly, on Tuesday 6 February, we will be holding a free webinar where you can find out about Early Connect: a Department for Education project for apprenticeships which is being piloted in three English regions – including here in the North East. It’s a brilliant opportunity to get extra, practical support with delivering apprenticeships and advertising your vacancies to young people. You can sign up to attend the webinar here.

On Thursday 8 February, our focus will be on T Levels, which can be a way for your business to attract tomorrow’s workforce. You’ll hear from organisations which are already offering T Level industry placements, we’ll tell you about the free support on offer and you’ll leave with tools and resources for your business. Make sure you sign up for this webinar here.

If you’ve been struggling to address recruitment and retention within your business, there is help on offer. Don’t miss out on support for your business.

Find out more and sign up to attend Why an apprenticeship makes good business sense on Tuesday 6 February here.

Sign up to be at How businesses are attracting top talent through T Levels on Thursday 8 February here.

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Lucy Winskell OBE, Chair of the North East LEP, responds to the announcement Nissan plans to invest up to £3bn in electric vehicle production in Sunderland

“Today’s announcement from Nissan reinforces the company’s commitment to the North East, and signals a new future for car manufacturing in our region.

“Not only will it protect thousands of existing jobs at its world leading manufacturing plant, it paves the way for more and better jobs as the company accelerates its transition to full electrification by 2030. Nissan’s commitment to manufacture future electric versions of the Qashqai, JUKE, and LEAF models follows a £1bn investment by Nissan and its partners to build a new electric vehicle hub – EV36Zero – which will create a world-first EV manufacturing ecosystem in Sunderland.

“The automotive sector in the North East, and the wider advanced manufacturing industry that supports it, is key to the future success of our region’s economy. Thanks to the adoption of new smart technology across the sector, we’re creating a workforce that is equipped with the skills needed for the jobs of the future. That’s helping to attract investment into the North East and position the region as one of the world’s leading hubs for green energy and advanced manufacturing. 

“As a pioneer in electric vehicles, Nissan’s continued investment in the North East means we can capitalise on the huge economic opportunities provided by the transition to electrification. It also means as a region, we can play a leading role in government’s ambition to reach net zero by 2050.”

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North East chosen for government funding to drive innovation and business growth in digital technologies

The North East has been selected to receive up to £7.5m of new investment to drive local innovation and business growth, building on the region’s existing strengths in digital technologies.

Under the Launchpad programme, businesses and researchers can apply for competitive grants and business support for innovation projects that focus on the development of new digital technology that could drive growth in the North East economy.

Colin Bell, Business Growth Director at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, which is coordinating the programme in the North East in partnership with Innovate UK, said: “We know we have strong digital tech clusters operating in the North East and this new programme will give them access to the finance and support they need to develop and bring to market new software, immersive technologies and artificial intelligence applications.

“The focus of the North East Launchpad is on tech which, once developed, has the potential to drive growth and job creation in other sectors of our economy, from offshore and subsea engineering through to the creative industries.”

The competition opens on 30 October 2023, and interested organisations are invited to sign up for a competition briefing event to find out more.

Grant funding starts from £25,000, with up to £1 million for projects that provide exceptional impact to the digital technologies innovation cluster in North East England, consisting of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and County Durham.

The Launchpad programme is funded by Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation. It is designed to build on innovation clusters around the UK that have significant growth potential and to deliver jobs, growth, and higher productivity, supporting the Government’s levelling-up agenda.

The North East Launchpad has been developed jointly by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP) and Innovate UK, and tailored to the region’s needs and circumstances. The projects will contribute to the creation of more and better jobs in the North East, particularly in sectors which have been identified as areas of opportunity, including green industries, advanced manufacturing, retail and town centre renewal.  

Successful applicants can receive grant funding for projects, alone or with collaborators, as well as additional support from Innovate UK and local providers as part of management of the local cluster.  

Innovate UK CEO Indro Mukerjee said:“Innovate UK is building strong regional partnerships across the UK to support local innovation and commercialisation. Our new Launchpads will help to attract further private sector R&D investment into innovation clusters, growing local economies and delivering societal and economic benefits to local communities.”

Dr David Dunn, CEO Sunderland Software City & Dynamo North East, said:The announcement of the Launchpad in the North East is a huge opportunity for businesses to drive forward their ideas embrace the opportunities in emerging markets.  The digital tech focus is a real recognition that the region is building a strong tech led economy.”

Estelle Blanks, CEO of Innovation SuperNetwork, said: “We already have a critical mass of innovative technology driving market growth in key sectors across the North East. The Launchpad is a welcome opportunity that will help accelerate collaboration across the cluster and the rate and volume of digital innovation taking place in the region, delivering social and economic value to the region.”

To find out more about the North East digital technologies Launchpad competition, and to sign up for a local stakeholder engagement session, visit www.iuk.ktn-uk.org/programme/launchpads

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North East LEP reaction to ONS regional labour market statistics

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership’s Chief Executive, Helen Golightly OBE, has commented on today’s regional labour market statistics, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The release includes data for the North East statistical region for the three-month period of May to July 2023. The region includes the North East LEP area and Tees Valley.

Helen Golightly OBE, Chief Executive of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP), said: “Despite a rise in the headline unemployment rate in the latest figures, the North East labour market continues to perform well, with both our employment and economic inactivity rates significantly improved on a year ago. That’s testament to North East businesses, who have performed remarkably, even in the face of wider uncertainty.”

The May to July employment total in the North East region was more than 49,000 higher than in the same period of 2022. The working age employment rate increased by 2.7 percentage points over the year, from around 71.4% to 74.1%, the largest increase among the nine English regions. The rise in employment was accompanied by a decrease of about 55,000 in the number of working age economically inactive people, who had been absent from the labour market a year earlier. The number of unemployed people in the North East increased by just over 9,000 in the year.

Helen Golightly continued: “The longer term figures give us cause for cautious optimism, but we need to keep a close eye on the latest figures to see whether the increase in unemployment is short term volatility or the start of a less positive trend. We know businesses are facing significant headwinds – including inflation, which is likely to remain high, and the expectation of further interest rate rises.

“As a region where retail is a hugely important sector, we also know the difficulties faced nationally by Wilko will be echoed for others in the industry, and the recent news of job losses and store closures will create a big hole in many of our regional high streets. It’s a reminder of how important it is to continue to support our local town centres and to focus on building the right environment for businesses to succeed, both now and for the long term.”

Further labour market analysis can be found on the North East Evidence Hub.

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North East LEP reaction to ONS regional labour market statistics

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership’s Chief Executive, Helen Golightly OBE, has commented on today’s regional labour market statistics, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The release includes data for the North East statistical region for the second quarter of 2023 (March to June). The region includes the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP) area and Tees Valley.

Helen Golightly OBE, Chief Executive of the North East LEP, said: “The North East jobs market has made incredible progress over the past year. Today’s data shows that employment in the North East region has increased by over 60,000 in the past 12 months. Although still lower than England as a whole, the working age employment rate is at its highest level since comparable records started over thirty years ago. The North East unemployment and working age economic inactivity rates are at their lowest levels.”

“It’s particularly pleasing that almost three-quarters of the increase in the North East’s employment in the last year has been due to increased female employment.”

“But we know there are still issues to address. Employment among male workers aged 25 to 34 and 50 to 64 decreased over the year, there has been a continued increase in long term sickness, and last week’s publication of the Local Skill Improvement Plan for North of Tyne tells us there are still skills gaps which need addressing.”

“The improvement we’ve seen is testament to North East businesses, who continue to create jobs in the face of difficult economic conditions. For our part, we at the North East LEP remain committed to supporting the creation of more and better jobs in the region, and we’ll be working to make sure improvements are felt across the region, that the voice of business is heard as we prepare for greater devolution in the North East, and that the region’s firms have the best possible environment in which to thrive.”  

Further labour market analysis can be found on the North East Evidence Hub.

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International delegation visits North East England to see positive impact of Gatsby Benchmarks on careers education

A group of international careers leaders from Hong Kong have visited North East England to see how the good career guidance benchmarks have been successfully embedded within the region, and how they are improving outcomes for young people across the North East.

Organised by The Gatsby Foundation in partnership with the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP), the visit saw career leaders, school principals and education experts from Hong Kong spend one week visiting schools and employers across the North East to see the good career guidance benchmarks in action.

Developed by The Gatsby Foundation, the good career guidance benchmarks are a set of eight benchmarks that serve as a framework for world-class careers provision. The North East region hosted the original Gatsby Benchmarks pilot between 2015 and 2017. In 2017, the Benchmarks were adopted as part of the government’s Careers Strategy for schools and colleges in England.

The recent visit from the Hong Kong delegation follows the implementation of an adapted set of 10 benchmarks. In Hong Kong, an initial pilot involving six schools has now expanded to 110 schools; approximately 25% of all schools in Hong Kong.

The group of careers leaders were invited by The Gatsby Foundation to see how deep rooted and embedded the Benchmarks are in the North East, and the positive impact this is having on the aspirations and career outcomes of the region’s students.

The visit will also form part of an international case study that will support Gatsby’s work on their ‘Good Career Guidance: The Next Ten Years’ report.

Ryan Gibson, Senior Adviser for Careers at The Gatsby Foundation and former National Facilitator of the Gatsby Pilot in the North East said “It was a pleasure to welcome career leaders, school principals and education experts from Hong Kong to England to learn from the excellent practice in our schools and colleges.

“The Benchmarks are based on international evidence of what works, and they represent a world class standard of careers provision. We are delighted to now be inspiring approaches in other countries.”

L-R Ryan Gibson, Senior Adviser for Careers at The Gatsby Foundation and Stephen Yip, Director (Schools) for the Hong Kong Benchmarks programme

Matt Joyce, Regional Lead: North East Ambition at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Having delivered the original pilot, and now in our role supporting all schools and colleges in the region to achieve the good career guidance benchmarks, the North East LEP is in a unique position to show others how successful the Benchmarks can be in creating an institution-wide approach to delivering high quality careers education and guidance.

“As well as showcasing the great work happening in schools and colleges here in the North East, it’s been fantastic to learn from our international colleagues about the work they are doing in Hong Kong.

“A really important part of this visit has been demonstrating how the good career guidance benchmarks fit with the wider skills agenda; supporting students to be work ready and delivering the talent and skills employers need.

“It’s been a pleasure to host the delegation and show them the transformational impact of the good career guidance benchmarks.”

Stephen Yip, Director (Schools) for the Hong Kong Benchmarks programme said “This visit brings the next generation of career leaders to North East England to learn new ideas, strategies and the effective whole institution approach needed to effectively achieve the good career guidance benchmarks.

“Schools and colleges in North East England have taken a remarkable step up across all benchmark areas over the last three years. Such a leap is achieved because of both frontline practices and the overall infrastructure provided by the North East LEP careers hub; to ensure youngsters in the region receive the best careers education for future paths.

“We are all inspired by the best practices demonstrated by the visited schools and will implement them to our contexts with little hesitation. Perhaps the most impressive part of the journey is the confidence and the sense of agency shown by the students upon their career-related future. This is indeed the power of The Gatsby Benchmarks.”

Joanne Maw, CEO of Aspire North East Multi Academy Trust, said: “It was a privilege to welcome the careers professionals and school leaders from Hong Kong to Southmoor Academy and have the opportunity to share our whole school approach to careers education.

“Staff benefitted greatly from the opportunity to showcase their work and answer a range of thought-provoking questions. It was inspiring to meet such a dedicated team of leaders who are deeply committed to a holistic approach to student progression.”

To illustrate the importance of employee engagement in delivering the Benchmarks, the North East LEP arranged a visit to international energy company, Equinor, which has a base at the Port of Tyne in South Tyneside.

Tom Nightingale. North East Stakeholder Manager at Equinor, said: “It was fantastic to support the North East LEP and host the delegation from Hong Kong at Dogger Bank Wind Farm operations and maintenance base. Sharing knowledge around skills initiatives with other countries is essential to develop knowledge around areas such as Gatsby Benchmarks, where the region is already leading in delivery.”

Matt Joyce continued: “During the visit we were able to demonstrate the impact of the Benchmarks and the crucial role of career hubs in supporting schools and colleges to create world-class careers provision.

“The delegation has left with an understanding of the importance of positioning careers not only as part of education, but as a lever for economic growth.”

Through its North East Ambition programme, the North East LEP is supporting all North East schools and colleges to achieve the good career guidance benchmarks by 2024.

For more information about the good career guidance benchmarks, visit www.northeastambition.co.uk.

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£7.4million awarded to expand Skills Bootcamps in the North East

£7.4million has been awarded by government to expand the range of Skills Bootcamps on offer to people and businesses in the North East.

The funding has been awarded to the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP) by the Department for Education, following the successful delivery of the region’s Green Skills Bootcamps in 2022-23, which saw nearly 800 people aged 19 and over benefit from training.

In total, the North East LEP area has now been awarded £9.8million to deliver Skills Bootcamps between 2022 and 2024.

“The first wave of Skills Bootcamps focused on ‘green skills’, equipping people with the knowledge and skills they need to work in renewable energy, or with electric vehicles, for example,” explained Michelle Rainbow, Skills Director at the North East LEP.

“Now, we’re rolling out an expanded programme of training which includes more green skills and also training in advanced manufacturing, business and education – areas where we know there are opportunities for people in our region.

“This is an opportunity to build on the success of the previous wave of Skills Bootcamps and give even more people the chance to gain the skills which will make a real, positive difference to their lives.”

The Skills Bootcamps are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with a local employer. They are part of the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee, helping everyone gain skills for life.

This latest wave of Skills Bootcamps sees the number of training providers in the region increase from 11 to 18, and the addition of employer-led training, with businesses including Nissan and Unipres signed up to deliver training. New College Durham, Gateshead College and Education Partnership North East are also part of the consortium of partners guiding the delivery.

“The Skills Bootcamps are open to individual learners and to businesses that want to upskill their existing staff members,” said Michelle Rainbow. “More than 100 employers have been involved in shaping the training and we hope that another 1,800 people will now be able to gain new skills and guaranteed job interviews through this latest programme of Skills Bootcamps. This is in addition to the 350 who have successfully completed a Green Skills Bootcamp and have secured a new job, progressed in their current role or secured additional self employed contracts.”

Details of skills bootcamps on offer in the North East can be found at www.northeastgrowthhub.co.uk/skills-bootcamps.  

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White paper calls for acceleration of geothermal energy projects in the UK

A new white paper of national importance has been published today (Monday 17 July) providing evidence for the acceleration, development and deployment of deep geothermal energy projects in the UK.

The case for deep geothermal energy – unlocking investment at scale in the UK was commissioned by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the North East and Yorkshire Net Zero Hub, and led by the British Geological Survey and Arup.

Gathering evidence from the geothermal industry, regulation, finance, and academia, the white paper outlines how deep geothermal energy – energy generated and stored in the form of heat in rocks, groundwater and soils – can provide a low-carbon source for heating, cooling and power generation; supporting the UK’s net zero targets and providing a domestic form of decentralised energy. It also highlights how investment in geothermal energy could deliver an economic boost to areas across the UK via job creation and tackling fuel poverty.

The white paper looks at the potential opportunities and benefits that geothermal energy could deliver for the UK economy, local communities, and government’s Net Zero commitments and energy security ambitions.

The deep geothermal energy white paper goes on to explore some of the potential challenges around the deployment of deep geothermal energy in the UK, before putting forward a set of recommendations to build, scaleup and support the long term growth of the sector.

New maps made available in the paper by the British Geological Survey, who has been leading the UK’s geothermal research since the 1980s, show that deep geothermal energy offers decarbonisation opportunities across the UK.

Lucy Winskell, Chair, North East Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Geothermal energy has one of the lowest carbon footprints compared to other technologies and its availability across the UK means that by connecting it to district heating networks we can deliver a secure, local and flexible baseload technology which can provide for our domestic, commercial and public sector requirements for heat.

“Like Mine Energy, its exploitation has the potential to deliver new jobs and investment into regions of the UK which are central to Government’s Levelling Up agenda.

“As well as helping the UK meet its net zero targets, adopting geothermal energy would bring a host of economic and societal benefits too. Growing the sector will not only lead to job creation, but it provides a unique opportunity to transition roles within the oil and gas sector to grow skills, knowledge and economic activity in domestic low carbon technologies.

“With many of the UK’s potential deep geothermal projects located in areas identified by the UK Community Renewal Fund as in need of economic stimulus, we also have the opportunity to support the levelling up agenda by creating green jobs and addressing fuel poverty.”

Most of the UK’s onshore deep geothermal energy resources can be found in deep sedimentary basins in large parts of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, where water circulates through deep rocks (>500 m) to form hot sedimentary aquifers (HSA) or fractured sedimentary aquifers (a sub-type of HSA). Temperatures range from 40–60°C, but can reach up to 100°C in some deeper parts.

Radiogenic granites form another source of deep geothermal energy in the UK. Heat accumulates within the rock to form ‘Hot Dry Rock’ (HDR). Granites found in Cornwall, North of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland have been already been identified as proved and potential geothermal targets for power and/or heat production.

The white paper uses stakeholder views, collected as part of a recent inquiry by the Environmental Audit Committee, to demonstrate there is widespread, collective agreement on the potential for developing deep geothermal in the UK, especially for space heating, industrial heating, and agriculture/horticulture heat use.

Research from published literature estimates that individual deep geothermal projects in the UK could achieve total savings of 72,000 tonnes (geothermal heating project) and 700,000 tonnes (geothermal power project) of CO2 equivalent over their estimated thirty-year and fifty-year operational lifetime, respectively.

Because geothermal energy has one of the lowest carbon footprints compared with other space and water heating technologies, it could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the UK.

Colin Bell, Business and Sector Growth Director at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The North East has undertaken geothermal research at the regional level for more than 20 years. We have made significant contributions to the UK’s geothermal knowledge, which is why we were asked to oversee this important piece of work. We commissioned the British Geological Survey and Arup to lead the development of the white paper.

“The North East is poised to become the UK’s first low carbon heat cluster, and the geothermal potential means we’re well positioned to demonstrate the commercial viability of deep geothermal heat deployment. As a region we have the expertise, infrastructure and collective ambition to take forward the recommendations in the white paper and lead the proposed demonstrator projects; paving the way for the scalability of deep geothermal across the UK.”

In addition to exploring the opportunities and benefits of deep geothermal energy, the white paper also outlines some of the potential challenges to its deployment, including high upfront costs, public awareness and support, and government investment.

Jason Boddy, Associate Director at Arup said: “If we really want to accelerate the use of deep geothermal energy in the UK, we need to address current regulation and drive forward innovation in the sector so we can bring costs down and build confidence amongst investors and the supply chain.

“Improving the availability of data will reduce some of the risks associated with geothermal projects and allows us to identify more opportunities and areas for future developments.”

The paper concludes with a set of recommendations to build the sector over the short, medium, and long term. They include reviewing financial support for geothermal energy projects; signposting the role of geothermal in UK Net Zero efforts; reviewing the legal status, regulation and licencing of geothermal energy; improving data availability and accessibility; understanding public perception of geothermal energy; and facilitating communication between stakeholder groups.

Dr Corinna Abesser, Policy Director at the British Geological Society, said: “Geothermal energy provides a unique opportunity to deliver a wide geographical area of the UK with a decentralised, low-carbon energy source via district heating networks.

“This white paper sets out how we can utilise deep geothermal energy to meet our net zero objectives, deliver economic growth across the country, increase our energy security, and improve our communities by creating the green jobs of the future.”

This white paper follows and is intended to complement the mine energy white paper, led and procured by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership during 2020/21 on behalf of the UK Mine Energy Taskforce.

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North East LEP reaction to ONS regional labour market statistics

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership’s Chief Executive, Helen Golightly OBE, has commented on today’s regional labour market statistics, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The release includes quarterly data for the North East region for the three-month period March to May 2023. The region includes the North East LEP area and Tees Valley.

Helen Golightly OBE, Chief Executive of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP), said:

“These figures show a continuation of the good news from last month, with our region’s unemployment rate falling at the fastest rate in the country, and remaining below the UK average, while our economic inactivity rate is also falling. All together this means there are nearly 55,000 more people in work in the region than a year ago.

“Our employment rate is still low, but improvement has meant it now matches that of London at 74.5% of the working age population, while our unemployment rate is the joint third lowest in England, matching the North West and beaten only by the South West and the East Midlands.

“But, it’s important for us to remember these headline figures are just a snapshot and there is plenty of work still to be done. While our employment rate for women matches the English average, employment amongst North East men is far below average. Equally, despite the progress we’ve made, our economic inactivity figure is still the highest in England.

“A tight labour market with low unemployment also brings different challenges for employers, and can make it difficult to find the right talent for their teams. At the LEP we’ll stay focused on working with our partners to deliver more and better jobs across the region, because it’s only through that collaboration and laser focus that we can improve the environment for businesses in the region.

“We need to work together to get people back into the labour market, and address big issues like skills shortages, the health of our workforce, and unlocking the economic potential of the pursuit of net zero.”