News Archives - Page 7 of 68 - North East Local Enterprise Partnership

Work has begun to create a new eco-building at an award-winning community garden and wildlife site in Newcastle.

Scotswood Natural Community Garden has been awarded £150,000 by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP) from its Local Growth Fund VCSE Capital Grant programme towards the construction of its new eco-building, which will allow more people in Newcastle’s West End to take part in its nature-based programmes.

Farah Kurji, Development Manager at Scotswood Natural Community Garden, explained: “Before the pandemic, we already supported more than 3,000 people a year through environmental workshops, volunteering opportunities, nature-based youth groups and community work.

“We know that many of our participants were disproportionately affected by COVID-19, and demand for our services has increased since, but our lack of indoor space has been limiting our ability to meet this demand.”

The creation of the new building, which is designed by North Tyneside architects, Brightblue Studio, will triple the indoor space at the site, adding a classroom, training kitchen, indoor toilets, office and community meeting space.

The design incorporates shipping containers donated by Newcastle College, and uses sustainable materials and innovative technologies to reduce its carbon footprint, with the aim of running at net zero carbon emissions.

The containers are being moved into position and work will begin on construction and fit-out of the building.

Helen Golightly OBE, Chief Executive of the North East LEP, commented: “By adding to its facilities, Scotswood Natural Community Garden is securing its long-term future and enabling more people to experience the health and wellbeing benefits of being in nature and learning new skills through the many volunteering and training opportunities on site.

“Again, we’re seeing what a vital role voluntary and community organisations like this play in building stronger, more sustainable communities in our region and I’m pleased we have been able to support this project.”

The Local Growth Fund VCSE Capital Grant programme aims to help communities across the North East recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Find out more here.

(Image: architects’ impression of what the building will look like)

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has a strong track record in evidence-based economic development strategy and delivery. Richard Baker, Director of Strategy, Policy and Analysis, explains why this is important and how the work we do continues to help the region embrace new opportunities, changes and challenges.

In her article about the outcomes of the LEP Review, our CEO Helen Golightly highlighted how government has recognised the importance of the LEP’s role in continuing to gather and use data, evidence and knowledge to inform and work with political and business leaders with strategic economic planning.

Since 2012, the North East LEP has led the development and oversight of the region’s Strategic Economic Plan. Its purpose has been to provide strategic direction, increase quality opportunities for people and businesses and to close key economic performance gaps with the rest of the country.

Robust economic evidence and policy analysis has always been used and continues to inform our planning and delivery. It is our core principle, not only be evidence led – but also to advocate and be recognised for it.

Ever since the first iteration of the Plan, which was built on the outcomes of the Northern Independent Economic Review led by Lord Andrew Adonis in 2012, we have kept our data and evidence fresh, forward facing and visible and we have translated it into economic strategy and delivery in the region and our work on policy issues. We have built strong and strategic collaboration with our partners, and capacity and capability into our analytical functions, intelligence gathering and strategy development processes.

Looking forward, our vision is to think bigger, to innovate and further develop our thinking to lead the way in in this space, both regionally and nationally.

Building on our annual ‘Our Economy’ report, we’ve recently launched the North East Evidence Hub – a website that brings together key regional data and research, in a simple and accessible way for our residents, businesses, education establishments and policy makers.

We have big plans for the site and want it to be the go-to place for the region, and where our partners look for and publish economic evidence. We’ve already seen the appetite and effectiveness of this vision through the publication of a strategic evidence base for our five lead authorities as they develop their plans for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Our team is always horizon scanning for new and innovative data sources. We work with novel data sets like Google Mobility data and experimental data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). Furthermore, we are building a relationship with ONS as it develops its sub-national evidence processes, ensuring we help them to shape the resource available to the region.

The evidence is a key building block for our work. We are equally passionate about working in collaboration with partners, bringing together these insights, and intelligence from across the region, to inform our strategic economic planning.

A good example is the Trade and Export strategy we published last year working with the Department for International Trade and the North East Chamber of Commerce to provide strategic direction in a new and challenging trading environment. It set out an agreed export proposition and a series of actions for the lead partners to take to enhance support for exporting.

This work was underpinned with a number of evidence tools; a significant evidence review produced by the University of Durham, a survey of exporting businesses in the region, and analysis of the operational data from the DIT and North East LEP.

Indeed, we work closely with our universities to ensure we are drawing together and building upon academic expertise and exploring opportunities for collaborative research and strategy projects. Moving forward, we want to build on activity to date and engage more deeply with the academic and research community.

We also bring together a number of strategic groups to test, inform and disseminate evidence. Our Economic Evidence Forum brings together people from across the region who commission and use evidence to work together on regional evidence priorities and peer review evidence projects that inform regional economic policy making. The Economic Prospects Group, convened jointly with the Bank of England, provides an opportunity to share real-time information and intelligence between different partners in our eco-system. We remain committed to ensure the work of these two groups informs our regional evidence activities, policy making and strategy development processes.

In addition to our regional work, there are opportunities for wider collaboration to inform and promote our region. Working with LEPs and Combined Authorities from across the North we have led development of the Northern Evidence Network (NEN), a new network to share and generate data and intelligence and help to shape strategy. A key priority for the NEN currently underway, is a refresh of the Northern Powerhouse Independent Economic Review working with Transport for the North, which will ensure that we have an up to date long term proposition about opportunities for future growth across the whole of the north of England and associated set of interventions on transport and the economy.

We are operating in an environment that is subject to significant change, both regionally and nationally – this undoubtedly creates a challenging time to be working in economic development. I believe that if we use the tools, people and infrastructure available to us to continue to build on the foundations we have created over the past decade, we will be able to navigate through these changes in an informed, strategic and collaborative way.

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP) has worked with schools and colleges to provide guidance for students and their parents, as they navigate the range of post-16 and post-18 options available to them.

As thousands of students receive their exam results, Matt Joyce from the North East LEP explains what support is available.

The North East LEP has always worked really closely with schools and colleges to help make sure that each and every young person in our region has the opportunity to be successful in whatever career they choose. And an important part of this is helping people to understand all the options that are open to them when they move on from school or college.

As we’re heading towards exam results days, we know that lots of young people and their parents will be feeling the pressure to make the right decision about what they do next. So we wanted to provide a simple guide to all the pathways which young people can take, from A levels to apprenticeships and from T Levels to traineeships.

On our North East Ambition website (www.NorthEastAmbition.co.uk), people can watch a short film which tells young people about their options. So anyone who’s unsure about their next steps can watch the video and get a simple comparison of the different pathways – including apprenticeships, traineeships, a range of vocational and technical qualifications, and, depending on their age and previous qualifications, higher education.

We know that parents often have a huge influence on their children’s future plans and that there’s been significant change in the education landscape in recent years, so these resources have been designed to update and help inform decision-making at what can be a stressful time.

There is information on A levels and T levels, as well as other vocational and technical options, and apprenticeships, which can now be taken up to degree level.

North East Ambition doesn’t replace the advice young people get at school or college, but it complements it, giving easy-to-digest information that families can look at together.

We also have a film created specifically for SEND students and their parents – again, this can be found on the North East Ambition site – and both videos provide links to the National Careers Service, where people can go for more in-depth information and support once they have an idea of the range of options there are.

Most importantly, I want people to know there is support out there.

If you don’t know what path to take, or if things haven’t worked out as you’d hoped, don’t panic. Make sure you ask for advice and speak to someone to talk through your options, whether that’s someone at your school or college, someone within your local authority, or the National Careers Service.

Young people have come through such a difficult time over the past two years and the world looks very different after the pandemic. That’s why we’re doubling down on our work to support schools and colleges, and help each and every young person gain the skills they need for their next steps in life.

Visit NorthEastAmbition.co.uk/options to see information on post-16 and post-18 pathways.

How will the government review of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) affect the work going on to improve skills in the North East? Michelle Rainbow, Skills Director at the North East LEP, gives an update.

In February of this year, the government published its Levelling Up white paper which not only set out proposals to spread opportunity more equally throughout the UK, but also reviewed and clarified the role that LEPs will play going forward.

This review recognised the valuable role LEPs play in supporting local economic growth and it confirmed that one of our core aims as a LEP will still be to ensure North East residents of all ages have the opportunity to develop skills that match the opportunities in the labour market.

The North East LEP and its skills programme is very much aligned with the government’s vision and confirmation of this has been useful and positive.

As a result, many things about the way we work will stay the same following the review. We will still be facilitating partnerships between business and education. We will still be working to make sure that each and every young person in our region can access the world of work when they leave education. And we will still be working with businesses to help them become more successful by upskilling their teams and creating links with the next generation.

In terms of change, there is more for us to do in terms of supporting individual businesses and sectors in our region to overcome their particular challenges. We’ll be working closely with our business growth colleagues who are speaking to companies day in and day out, to find out what the issues are which are preventing them from growing and scaling and to provide a solution or support where we can, such as guiding people through the options for recruiting apprentices, or helping businesses to get involved with shaping the region’s new technical education offer.

We’ll also be looking at challenges businesses face in a range of sectors, like social care, which are big employers in our region but which fall outside the six sectors which have been identified in the North East Strategic Economic Plan as key areas of growth and opportunity (these are advanced manufacturing, digital, energy, and health and life sciences). After all, having an appropriately-skilled and qualified population is good for businesses in every industry.

So while we will be aligning everything we do with government priorities, the needs of people, education providers and businesses in our particular geography will always be our focus.

And while change can be difficult to navigate – and we’ve definitely been through a lot of change recently – taking a long term view can help. This applies to us at the North East LEP and it applies to businesses too. If you see skills as something which can help you secure the future of your business in the long term, and you can spend some time now on training, apprenticeships and T-Level placements, you’ll be in a better position to navigate change in the future. And we can help you do that.

Skills was a priority for us before the government review and it’s still a priority now. We want all businesses in the North East to be able to get the skills support they need, so if there’s a challenge you are facing then please do let us know.

Visit NorthEastLep.co.uk to find out about the North East LEP’s skills programmes, and visit NorthEastGrowthHub.co.uk to access business support.

Change brings the opportunity to innovate and improve. Colin Bell, Director of Business and Sector Growth at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP), explains how business support in the region is evolving.

The North East LEP and the North East Growth Hub are recognised as national exemplars, with many others learning from and adopting our methodologies, tools and systems.

Our team have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic and the EU exit with over 57,000 engagements with businesses to help them survive, revive and recover and in doing so improve the productivity performance of businesses receiving intensive support by over £9,000 per employee (measured as GVA per employee).

In addition, we have led sector growth in energy, tech, health and life sciences, working with partners to create and deliver ambitious plans and claim a global foothold. As businesses continue to face economic headwinds, we will continue to support the development of an ecosystem that will help them to tackle the issues of today, to chart a route to the future and to achieve their ambitions.

The role of the North East LEP is however changing and we are transitioning to a new environment set out by Government in the Levelling Up white paper. As the exact parameters of this landscape are still emerging, it’s critical that we adopt an agile and flexible approach that can be quickly adapted to the changing environment.

Within this is an opportunity to sharpen our focus and to drive forward a more impactful and modern approach that delivers more for less.

A key opportunity in the emerging landscape is to embed innovation across all aspects of strategy and delivery. It’s our collective innovativeness that builds regional competitiveness, that drives business and sector growth and claims our foothold in emerging global markets.

We also recognise that if innovation lies at the heart of our economic competitiveness, then as a LEP and through our partnerships we too must embody an innovative approach and culture. We therefore see change as an opportunity on which to build on our strong foundation and to reimagine and realign our approach to add maximum value.

Opportunities include:

Refocusing the one-to-one support available through the North East Growth Hub’s triage team, meaning that any person or business requiring information, support or guidance can access it.
Adopting modern and innovative business models to create a flexible platform to deliver a more streamlined, cohesive, and impactful customer journey.
Boosting our sector leadership by applying more resource to work closely with businesses to lead the development and delivery of ambitious sector strategies in energy, tech, health and life sciences, advanced manufacturing and knowledge-intensive business services, including the introduction of specialist sector-focused Growth Hub Connectors to support businesses.
Embedding innovation across all of our activities to ensure that we spread a culture of challenge-based and collaborative innovation and focusing partnerships on capturing first mover advantage in global emerging markets in which the North East demonstrates competitive strength.

In addition, we look forward to continuing our close working relationship with Government to shape the forthcoming Enterprise Strategy and to deliver national initiatives locally such as Made Smarter and the Net Zero Hub on behalf of the Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy.

We look to the future with confidence and are embracing the opportunities that comes with change to continue to drive the creation of more and better jobs for the people of the North East.

We are here to support businesses to start, innovate and grow. Find out what support is available for your business via NorthEastGrowthHub.co.uk.

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is looking to recruit new private sector Board Members, who have a strong connection to and knowledge of the North East and its economy and who can provide a significant contribution to the creation of more and better jobs.

This is an important time in the economic development of the North East as businesses face both challenges and opportunities. We are looking to appoint new Board Members with a strong business background, who have experience of building effective relationships across all sectors, understand the important role of the public sector and have the motivation to fully commit to and represent the North East LEP on a regional and national scale.

These are significant Non-Executive Director positions in terms of public profile, responsibility and accountability to the community. The role brings with it professional rewards, with contact with Government officials and Ministers, and the opportunity to shape interventions that will make a difference to the people and businesses of the North East. Board members are advocates for the North East and for the successes of the LEP to date and in the future.

Board Members will:

• Inspire confidence in the business community, government, the seven Local Authorities and two Combined Authority, investors and all other key partners and stakeholders, that the LEP understands the needs and opportunities of business and can effectively articulate these into strategic economic policy and delivery.

• Provide an authentic and respected voice of business on behalf of the LEP Board, Members and Executive Team on matters of economic strategy and growth – to Government, partners and to the media.

• Fully and effectively contribute to the Board to reach balanced and informed positions on key issues.

• Work closely with the senior LEP Executive, so that there is a unified and coherent approach to all LEP matters, that fully utilises the LEP Executive expertise.

• Represent the LEP and the wider business community on sub-boards or other regional structures as appropriate.

• Promote the North East LEP region as an outstanding location to invest and grow and to directly encourage and stimulate investment in the region.

• Work with the LEP team, combined and local authorities and regional stakeholders to proactively support transition arrangements set out in the Levelling Up White Paper and LEP Review.

We anticipate that you will be a senior business leader with a high profile in the North East or a connection to the North East, and someone who is genuinely motivated and driven to make our area an even better place to live, work and stay. If you are interested in joining a progressive and vibrant LEP then this may be the role for you.

For more information and to apply for the role please click here to download the recruitment pack. The closing date is 9am on Friday 26 August.

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership’s Strategy and Policy Director, Richard Baker, has commented on today’s regional labour market statistics, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The data updates on key indicators within the Strategic Economic Plan. Today’s release includes quarterly data for the North East region (for the period March to May 2022). The region includes the North East LEP area and Tees Valley.

Richard Baker, Strategy and Policy Director at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The data released today shows that recent employment trends in the North East region have continued to improve, with an additional 11,600 people in employment compared to the previous quarter and a larger increase in the employment rate than nationally.

“The statistics also show a decrease in the region’s economic inactivity rate during the last quarter that is larger than nationally, and a continuing high level of labour market demand. However, there remains a challenge to ensure the North East labour market is working for all age groups with younger and older workers not securing employment at the same rate as other groups.

“PAYE data shows that the region’s median employee pay is increasing at a similar rate to nationally (up by 5.3% in the year to May 2022), which is faster than the pre-COVID trend, but tracking below inflation.

“Whilst it’s encouraging to see positive changes continue into this quarter, our economy continues to face challenges, particularly around the tightness of the labour market for employers and cost of living for residents. We can expect continuing volatility over the coming months and there will continue to be a need for support for business in navigating these headwinds and for families and communities facing increasing prices.”

Businesses in the North East are being offered expert support to develop solutions to current energy-related challenges, like rising fuel prices and the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions.

Led by a partnership of regional organisations called the North East Energy Catalyst, the Energy Innovation Challenge Programme invites SMEs to put forward ideas for products or services that could help solve some of the issues that domestic and commercial energy consumers are facing.

David Lynch, Energy Innovation Partnership Manager at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP), explains: “The North East Energy Catalyst includes the North East’s leading energy innovation and demonstration organisations. Together, we want to support other businesses and help bring forward new energy solutions which could not only help with some of the issues consumers are facing at the moment, but which could also bring jobs and investment into our region.”

Businesses selected to join the Energy Innovation Challenge programme will receive one-to-one support to develop their idea; a series of workshops facilitated by the Innovation SuperNetwork on topics including marketing and intellectual property; access to regional facilities like university laboratories; and the opportunity to pitch for investment from a panel of investors who are supporting the challenge programme.

“We know the North East is already home to a huge number of innovative businesses. We can provide the support these businesses need to develop commercially viable products and help put our region on the map as the place that’s rising to the challenges the world is facing,” added David Lynch.

One North East business which entered a previous round of the challenge programme is Otaski Energy Solutions, which had developed AI software which can be used to dim street lights when not in use.

Philip Inegbedion from Otaski Energy Solutions said: “It’s been an interesting journey for us because we have literally unlocked an entire market opportunity that would have taken us years to access, and that’s largely because we are standing on the shoulders of giants. I would recommend the Energy Innovation Challenge programme to any and every SME in this space.”

The Energy Innovation Challenge programme is open to SMEs in the North East LEP area with fewer than 250 employees. Businesses can choose one or more of three challenge themes to address:

Solutions to energy challenges and decarbonisation of urban and rural settings
Digital and data solutions to aid decarbonisation of private and public sector estate
Materials used in any aspect of our electricity, gas and/or water infrastructure.

The deadline for entries is 29 July and more information is available here. (challenge.northeastgrowthhub.co.uk/challenges)

Helen Golightly, Chief Executive of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP), outlines how the organisation’s role is set to evolve.

I began working for the North East Local Enterprise Partnership 10 years ago and have been the chief executive for the past seven.

When I started, we were a small team of six people and now we are a team of more than 60 people. Every day, I am incredibly proud of the rigour, commitment and sheer determination of our team, partners and communities who come together in the best interests for the North East to achieve amazing things, whatever the circumstances.

People who have more commitment, passion and drive than I’ve seen before. People who strive to secure investment and improve skills, job opportunities and purposeful business support across the North East to improve the lives of others, because they want to do the right thing for a region that is so special to us all.

I believe that what we have achieved has been possible because our strategic direction has always been clear through an evidence-led, strategic economic plan to create more and better jobs for our region.

In the past 12 months alone, as we emerged from the pandemic, independent assessors have stated that leadership, influence, synergy and engagement are areas in which the North East LEP has excelled through the delivery of the Strategic Economic Plan. Independent assessment of the Local Growth Fund and Enterprise Zone programmes to date have indicated good to very good value for money in line with national benchmarks for these programmes.

Some highlights over the past 12 months are that we have supported over 23,000 business, with a customer satisfaction rate of 98%. We provided evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on Youth Unemployment and have focused particularly on our primary schools to think about careers advice from an early age. It was also a privilege to host the launch of National Careers Week 2022 here in the North East – the first time outside London – as our good work was recognised.

We are committed to embedding innovation challenges as a way of proactively looking for solutions to global problems and opportunities. We continue to deliver significant capital projects across the region, and this year we will launch a new Commercial Property Investment Fund with FW Capital.

Strategic direction is what keeps our ship steady during times of change. And the next 12 months will undoubtedly bring more change for not just the LEP, but for wider regional governance as our local and combined authorities works towards securing greater devolution powers and funding to the region.

The role of the North East LEP within that process has been made clear to us. Government’s Levelling Up White Paper was published in February 2022 and provided details about the outcome of a review of the future role for all Local Enterprise Partnerships. It states that there is a strong role for LEPs moving forward to continue to focus on economic development activities with our partners, and as greater devolved powers are secured, Government want LEPs to transition into Mayoral Combined Authority and/or County Deal structures to ensure continued regional focus and alignment.

For us this clarification has been welcomed.

The revised role for LEPs is to:

Represent the business voice – collaborating and engaging with, listening to and feeding business views into national and regional policy and investment decision making
Lead strategic economic planning – taking the regional lead to develop and coordinate research and economic evidence around the North East economy to inform regional strategy and decision making
Improve skills – working to ensuring North East residents of all ages have the opportunity to develop skills that match the opportunities in the labour market
Grow businesses – supporting businesses to start, grow and thrive and to create an environment where they can learn from each other to create more and better jobs
Manage funds – continuing to manage the region’s Enterprise Zone funding and other funding streams already secured by us to invest in strategic projects which will grow the regional economy

Our 2022/23 delivery plan reflects this new remit. But it also captures the added value that our Local Enterprise Partnership offers. The Strategic Economic Plan has been the blueprint for regional economic development for almost a decade. It is a 10-year plan that is due to conclude in 2024 and we are committed to this and to demonstrating the impact that it has made.

We have changes in national funding through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Levelling Up funds to help partners navigate, devolution agendas to support and a Levelling Up agenda to pursue. The North East LEP is exceptionally well placed to play a central role in supporting and guiding partners through this process as we continue to create more and better jobs together for our region and our delivery plan reflects that.

Change can bring challenge but it always brings opportunity. As ever, we remain proud ambassadors for the North East business community and continue with our mission to create more and better jobs, so everyone has the chance to thrive.

Category: News

Work begins to create new eco-building in Newcastle’s West End

Thinking bigger and planning together for the future

Finding the right path after results day

Raising skills levels in the North East while navigating national change

Leading business and sector growth in a changing landscape

Are you an inspirational business leader with a passion for the North East of England?

North East LEP reaction to ONS regional labour market statistics

Support on offer for North East businesses that could help solve current energy challenges

Moving forward with a refreshed role but the same commitment and determination to create more and better jobs