North East Archives - North East Local Enterprise Partnership

Passengers visiting Newcastle International Airport this year will be greeted with a refreshed suite of imagery celebrating why the North East is a great place to work, learn, live, visit and invest.

The advertising banners feature in prominent areas throughout Newcastle International Airport, including:

Domestic arrivals
International arrivals
All departures

Working with local partners, we’ve produced an impactful and inspiring advertising campaign that showcases images of the North East LEP area (Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, Sunderland, South Tyneside, North Tyneside, Northumberland, County Durham) and highlights some of our region’s strengths – from stargazing and science to energy and events.

The advertisements are designed to encourage more businesses to locate or invest in the North East, creating more and better jobs and boosting our economy. They also aim to inspire more people to live and work in the region, and contribute to the growth of our sector strengths, which include energy, health and life sciences, advanced manufacturing, and digital.

Helen Golightly OBE, Chief Executive of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “We know the North East is great place to do live, work and do business. The imagery used at the airport is about showcasing our strengths to the world, and inviting people to contribute to our region’s success.

“From the innovations being developed in our digital sector, to the pioneering research and development happening in our health and life sciences sector, we highlight why there are great opportunities for businesses in our region.

“And we all know a healthy work life balance is important, which is why the imagery celebrates some of the amazing things people can see and do across the North East as well – from riding the Coast to Coast, to running the Great North Run.

Guy Currey, Director of Invest North East England, said: “In the 2021/22 financial year, our region created over 8,000 new jobs from inward investment projects, and we were the leading UK region for job creation when compared with our working-age population.

“We want to build on that success and tell our region’s story, which is why visitors to the North East will be greeted with the refreshed advertisments at Newcastle International Airport which not only demonstrate why North East England is great place to do business, but also show why North East England is a great place to call home.

“The airport advertising compliments the ongoing work that Invest North East England, the North East LEP and local authorities are doing, and encourages more businesses to become part of our region’s success story and contribute to our bright future.”

Graeme Mason, Chief Sustainability and Communications Officer at Newcastle International Airport, said: “Millions of people travel through our Airport every year, and for many we are their first introduction to the North East.

“The imagery is an amazing showcase of the talent, skills and expertise in our region, as well as the many unrivalled events and experiences people can enjoy here.

“Whether people are visiting us on business, or enjoying a holiday, this campaign is a bold reminder of why the North East is thriving destination with a huge amount to offer anyone that chooses to work, learn, live, visit or invest here.”

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 data updates on key indicators within the Strategic Economic Plan.

Today’s release includes quarterly data for the North East region (for the period June to August 2022). 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: “The data released today shows the labour force in the North East is following a similar pattern to the rest of England.

“It is a cause for concern that both nationally and in the region we have seen the number of people in employment fall, unemployment fall and further growth in the number of people becoming economically inactive – where they are not looking for work.

“There is also evidence of a decline in the previous high rate of vacancies in the economy, with a particular impact on recruitment amongst small businesses employing fewer than 50 people.

“Nationally and regionally the labour market is slowing. There are currently 71.2% of people aged 16-64 in work, but the region still hasn’t recovered to pre-COVID levels of employment.

“At this time, people and businesses are focused on the cost of living and costs of doing business given rises in inflation and interest rates.

“PAYE data which has been released today shows that nationally employee pay continues to increase at a rate of 5.4% (excluding bonuses), at a time when costs of living in areas like energy and food are increasing at a higher rate. National data suggests that the impact on real terms pay is a decrease of about 3%. As we head into winter this will be an issue of great concern for both residents and employers.

“We welcome the decision by the Chancellor to bring forward the planned budget statement to the end of the month as it is clear that the economy requires ongoing support to return to sustainable growth and to provide support to businesses and residents through current uncertainty.”

Access all the latest labour market information on the N orth East Evidence Hub.

Professor Matt Boyle OBE is Professor of Practice in Engineering at Newcastle University and Executive Chair of Driving the Electric Revolution Innovation Centre. Originally from the West of Scotland, Matt worked all over the world before coming to the North East in 1996 to head up electrification technology company, Sevcon.

Matt was Managing Director of Turntide Transport and oversaw the parent company’s acquisitions of Avid Technology, BorgWarner Gateshead and Hyperdrive Innovation. Today, he is Managing Director of Collingwood Solutions.

Matt, what does innovation mean to you?

Failure. Innovation is trial and error; innovation is learning from failure. Yes, there’s success at the end of it, but innovation and failure go hand in glove in my book.

Tell us more about your move to the region in 1996 to head up electrification technology company, Sevcon.

Sevcon was an interesting business; it was actually a US public company when I joined so it was a global organisation. Whilst still being micro-sized, it had operations in France, Japan, Korea, and North America. We manufactured everything here in the UK, which was an unusual thing for a business of our size to be doing at the time. It became increasingly obvious that in order to build the business we needed to either invest, which would be difficult to do because it required skills we didn’t have, or subcontract it, and that’s what eventually we did.

Was innovation a big part of your role at Sevcon?

One of the great things about being part of the team at Sevcon was that we always innovated, it was really the heart of the business. It was already instilled in the team when I joined the business but I allowed it to flourish. And that’s because people love to be successful. And we were successful.

How do you unlock innovation in people?

I come back to my original statement; you have to create an environment where people feel it’s okay to fail. But you also have to point out that continual failure along the same path is not something you want to have. I’m a great believer in bringing talented people into a business and then taking the shackles off, and we did that very successfully at Sevcon.

How easy is it to secure investment here in the North East?

It’s very important that investment follows idea and not the other way around. And what I mean by that is there is a business case that has to be developed to bid for any investment. And that requires an idea at the start. So once you get the idea and flesh it out, you then take two paths – do it yourself, or get somebody else to fund it.

Doing it yourself in this country is easier than it was. There is quite a rocky road and it does require a lot of tenacity. Going out to find money from government, for example, is extraordinary difficult and all the things that surround it are extremely time consuming. But if you can articulate your idea, and it has a market, then I would encourage anybody to go to the west coast of America because there is a different culture there. The culture is ‘what is possible’, not ‘what you’re doing today’.

Where do you think the North East could be in five to ten years time?

We could have billion pound businesses in the North East in five to 10 years time. They will be manufacturing businesses and they will be manufacturing the technologies of the future. The realism is that requires an enormous number of skilled people that we currently don’t have.

We do have a head start and that’s where opportunity exists. We create a lot of product IP in the North East, and we’ve already attracted the Britishvolts of the world, as well as the investments by Envision AESC and Nissan. And that’s a good start, but there have been several estimates about how many skilled people we need in the North East in the next five years and it’s around 13,500. And I don’t know where those 13,500 people are going to come from, but that’s not going to stop me trying to find them.

The opportunity is here, but where’s the investment. That’s what I’m trying to do now.

What can we do as a region to make that vision a reality?

Let’s start telling people what we’ve got here. I still hear ‘coals from Newcastle’, irrespective of the fact some of the drugs treating cancer today were developed here in Newcastle.

We need to reach out and explain to people what an opportunity there is here. We need to tell that story.

If you weren’t working in the manufacturing sector, what other areas of industry would you want to work in?

There are several. I love pharma. I was actually approached once to run a big pharmaceutical facility in Cramlington.

Gaming is another area where the North East has a really strong reputation, particularly in new immersive technologies.

Aerospace and space is a growing sector here. Somebody asked me the other day, ‘what do we do in space here in the North East?’ There’s a whole host of activity around communications and satellite technologies.

We’ve got the capability and now we need a little bit more investment.

You currently sit on government’s Build Back Better Business Council. What’s that experience been like and what are the types of things you’re discussing?

One of the missions of the Business Council is to improve the UK economy so there are a multitude of businesses around the table, all addressing different sectors, and some of them with different challenges. We’re essentially telling the Prime Minister what we think he should do.

I’ve been talking about skills, and the need for a combination approach to building skills in electrification field. And that comes down to upskilling and reskilling, as well as creating frameworks for kids coming out of school.

As you might imagine, I get invited every now and again to go into schools talk to them about what I’ve done in my career. There are two things I tell students; one, engineering is a career for life. You can do different disciplines your entire life and have a really fulfilling career. And the second thing is, which I really loved to hear, is that investment banks are struggling to appoint engineers because the salary differential for investment bankers and engineers is so tight. For too long talent has gone into the financial services sector but that’s changing.

Learn more about the advanced manufacturing sector in the North East.

North East England Freeport to create 60,000 jobs, over £3.4bn GVA and £2.7bn private sector investment.

A dynamic business and public sector partnership based in the UK’s leading export region has lodged an exciting and innovative bid for the North East England Freeport, which economic experts have predicted would generate a £2.1 billion boost to UK exports, plus many other significant benefits.

Government support for the proposal would see the North East England Freeport provide a uniquely ambitious and collaborative opportunity for the whole region to thrive, boosting the local economy by over £2.4 billion over 10 years and providing a gateway to long term global competitiveness. Through the North East England Freeport, over 30,000 new jobs are expected to be created for the region, of which 13,000 are highly paid ‘better jobs. A further 31,000 jobs will be generated in the construction industries.

The regional consortium formed to operate the North East England Freeport as a virtual free trade zone includes Nissan, the Ports of Tyne, Blyth and Sunderland, Newcastle Airport, seven local and two combined authorities, the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), plus leading north east universities and innovative organisations. The sites involved will be inter-connected and secured using a state of the art, cybersecure perimeter.

Economic analysis completed by consortium members and validated by an independent economic adviser demonstrates that the North East England Freeport would deliver outstanding economic benefits to the region. These include:

61,458 new jobs across the construction, manufacturing, logistics, energy, innovation and business sectors
£3.4 billion GVA across the local region
Expected GVA of £110,000 per freeport worker, with median earnings of freeport workers 40-62% higher than current regional levels across all sectors
Total GVA uplift of £3,000 per capita within the North East LEP area
£2.7 billion in new regional private sector investment
£2.1 billion additional UK exports over 10 years

By generating tens of thousands more and better jobs, the North East England Freeport will become a national hub for global trade and investment, a hotbed for innovation, a catalyst for sustainable economic regeneration, while minimising barriers to trade. Each site and partner in the freeport bid consortium will contribute to realising a best-in-class offering that will drive investment and deliver a high impact, economic boost that fully exploits the North East’s unique abilities in advanced manufacturing, life sciences, digital, clean energy and business services.

Crucially, the North East England Freeport will provide a bold blueprint for growth, compromising of a multi-site, digitally connected and enabled cybersecure boundary area, with robust customs zones. This will enable the North East region’s clusters to manufacture goods cost efficiently and trade internationally, benefiting from tax advantaged policy to stimulate economic development. It will contribute to levelling up in one of the areas of the country where it is needed the most.

The North East England Freeport will include three significant tax sites totalling approximately 600 hectares on which businesses will be able to receive a range of special incentives to invest and grow. They are located in some of the most deprived communities in the region and will create new jobs and supporting skills and employability programmes to ensure jobs are accessible to local people. The activity from these businesses will generate benefits across the region.

The Freeport will be led by a collaborative Governance Board which will bring together leaders from business, local government, higher education and the ports to drive forward the North East England Freeport at pace. This demonstrates the regions determination to deliver long term transformation and commitment to level up the UK economy.

Matt Beeton, CEO at the Port of Tyne and Interim Chair of the North East England Freeport, said: “Our model offers an unrivalled, ‘best of all worlds’ approach, uniting the private and public sectors to provide the region with an exceptional opportunity to benefit from the levelling up potential of digitally enabled economic zones. Developing over 60,000 new jobs in the region and £3.4bn regional GVA is incredibly important and demonstrates that ports are a catalyst for future economic growth.”

Martin Lawlor, CEO at the Port of Blyth said: “This bid consortium offers unrivalled clean growth and manufacturing expertise, and we have the vision, ambition and experience to make this a flagship freeport the UK can truly be proud of. We are excited by both the innovation within our bid and the transformative impact our freeport will have on the region if we are successful.”

Nick Jones, Chief Executive Officer of Newcastle International Airport, said: “Fast and frequent connections to growth markets are key to the success of the freeport and the advancement of the North East’s key business sectors. Air connectivity will strengthen the North East England Freeport proposition and will help to drive productivity improvements through logistics supply chains, with the ultimate aim of supporting the growth sectors in the region – from pharmaceuticals and life sciences to technology and advanced manufacturing. The Airport is delighted to play a role in the across-region partnership that will deliver this project.”

Lucy Winskell, Chair of the North East LEP said: “The North East is a perfect candidate for a freeport given its trading pedigree, its capabilities in green industries and the challenges it faces. Our model is deeply collaborative and highly innovative. Our seaports, airport, businesses, universities and political leaders are working together to deliver a cutting edge, digitally enabled freeport which brings new growth across our region and regenerates many of the communities that need it most.”

Jamie Driscoll, Mayor of North of Tyne said: “The North East has always been a strong manufacturing and exporting region. We want to secure the future for our workers, our kids and our grandkids. This means developing our low carbon industries and building a green future.”

Councillor Graeme Miller, Chair of North East Combined Authority said: “This is a highly collaborative and compelling bid with the ability to transform the whole of the North East. Crucially, it provides significant opportunities for Nissan and the International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP).”

Representatives from the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, all seven local authorities and the region’s business community came together today (13 November) to discuss the future of infrastructure in the UK as part of a visit by the National Infrastructure Commission.

The organisation, which provides expert, impartial advice to government on infrastructure – is currently touring the country to discuss its recently published National Infrastructure Assessment. The first of its kind for the UK, it analyses the UK’s long-term economic infrastructure needs, outlines a strategic vision over the next 30 years and sets out recommendations on how the identified needs should be met.

Published once a parliament, today’s event was an opportunity for the North East to provide feedback on the assessment and discuss how the recommendations will support economic prosperity in the region.

Organised by the North East LEP, attendees met with Sir John Armitt, Chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission, and Bridget Rosewell OBE, Commissioner at the National Infrastructure Commission.

Andrew Hodgson, Chair of the North East LEP said: “It’s important for us as a region to plan for the long-term recommendations in the National Infrastructure Assessment and respond to the opportunities and challenges it raises. Having the chance to discuss its impact on the North East and how it fits with our Strategic Economic Plan has been a fantastic opportunity.

“We’re keen to identify areas where the North East can take forward work to shape areas like digital connectivity, management of flooding and new transport investments, and how we can ensure the region benefits from future infrastructure funding.

“We were able to bring together key representatives from the public and private sector to learn more about the Assessment and provide feedback to Sir John and his colleagues about the region’s response to it.

“It’s great to see the National Infrastructure Commission consulting the North East on issues that will have a significant impact our region and we look forward to working with them to establish a future co-operative approach.”

The National Infrastructure Assessment puts forward a series of recommendations on six key areas; building a digital society, low cost and low carbon energy, revolutionising road transport, transport and housing for thriving city regions, reducing the risks of drought and flooding, and choosing and designing infrastructure. Government has 12 months to formally respond to the Assessment.

Sir John Armitt CBE, Chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission, said: “From the redevelopment of the Gateshead Quays to South Shields’ new transport interchange, it’s clear that councils and businesses across the North East are keeping a strong focus on improving local infrastructure for the benefit of residents.

“Our National Infrastructure Assessment – a first for the UK – has strong recommendations which, if adopted, could make a real difference for the region. In particular, our call for a truly national charging network for electric vehicles would support take-up across the country, as well as here at the home of the Nissan Leaf.

“This, and our proposals for devolving more transport funding to cities rolling out full-fibre broadband and providing more energy from low-carbon sources, would benefit the region and the country as a whole, and I hope local leaders will make the case to ministers to make them a reality.”

Held at the offices of Ward Hadaway in Newcastle, the roundtable discussion explored the opportunities and challenges of the Assessment for the region and how the North East can help take them forward.

Organisations representing the region included; the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, Nexus, Environment Agency, Newcastle International Airport, North East Combined Authority (NECA), the region’s local authorities and the newly formed North of Tyne Combined Authority.

Colin Hewitt, Partner and Head of the Commercial team at Ward Hadaway, said: “We are delighted to host this roundtable discussion. It will give us a chance to talk about the types of infrastructure the UK should be investing in and also establish a new way to think about infrastructure closer to home, with a focus on how it affects our quality of life and the success of the North East economy.”

For more information about the National Infrastructure Commission and to read the National Infrastructure Assessment, visit www.nic.org.uk.

If you have any further questions about this article, please do not hesitate to contact us directly.

By Victoria Sutherland, Senior Economist at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership
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As an economist working at the North East LEP, one of the questions I’m asked the most is ‘how is the North East economy performing?’

On Tuesday 6 March I had the opportunity to answer that question at the launch of the ‘Our Economy 2018’ report.

More than 200 people joined me, Andrew Hodgson, Chair of the North East LEP, and our panel of speakers to learn more about the current state of the North East economy and to consider how we build our global linkages.

It was a pleasure to see colleagues from across the business community, as well as government departments, local authorities and education at the launch.

We were able to share positive news about the North East economy and update on the good progress that has been made against the Strategic Economic Plan targets. A key highlight is that the number of jobs in the North East has increased by 55,200 since 2014, putting us on track to meet our target of 100,000 more and better jobs by 2024.

We are also particularly pleased that the employment rate and economic activity rate have increased – meaning residents are benefiting from the additional job opportunities – and that the gap with England excluding London on these measures has reduced.

The event focused on the North East’s role in the global economy and the importance of international connections. We had the pleasure of hearing from guest speaker Jason Knights, managing director of brand creative agency Blue Kangaroo, about his organisation’s international links and how thinking global has seen his company flourish.

Blue Kangaroo now work with some of the biggest brands in the world, including The Walt Disney Company and Mattel, all from its base in Gateshead.

Our panel discussion saw contributions from Marian Sudbury, Director, Global Operations for the Northern Powerhouse at the Department for International Trade and Professor Nick Wright, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Business at Newcastle University.

We learnt more about the support and advice on offer to North East businesses looking to export and how our region’s universities have built their global connections and welcomed over 17,000 international students to the North East last year.

The North East’s excellent air and sea connectivity was highlighted as being critical for supporting our global connections. In 2016, the North East’s ports handled 5.7m tonnes of freight and Newcastle Airport handled 4.8 million passengers, 76% travelling between Newcastle and international destinations.

A questions and answer session followed with some fantastic debate around the findings in the report and a call to action by Andrew Hodgson for North East businesses to be proud of their achievements and to champion the region on the international stage.

To coincide with the publication of the ‘Our Economy’ report, the North East LEP, in partnership with the North East Combined Authority, has launched the North East Data Hub. This is a digital platform that gathers data from across the region on the economy and transport and allows users to download and compare data in a simple, user-friendly way.

To find out more information about the North East Data Hub, visit www.northeastdatahub.co.uk and for more information about ‘Our Economy 2018’ and to read the report in full, visit www.nelep.co.uk/oureconomy.

FinanceCamp North East is being pitched as the smart new way for regional businesses to secure the right kind of investment to fit their plans for growth.

Details have now been released for this new programme of support which will culminate in a major event on 21 June 2016 at Ramside Hall, Durham, where businesses with bright ideas will meet lenders who want to lend and investors who want to invest.

Enterprises of all sizes, structures and sectors are now being urged to apply for the programme to explore different ways to finance their ambitions – whether that’s through a start-up loan, a multi-million pound equity deal or anything in between.

FinanceCamp has been shaped by input and ideas from a wide cross section of businesses, government bodies, research and educational institutions, business representation groups and support organisations who have an interest in accelerating innovation in the region.

It’s been developed by the team behind the region’s annual innovation conference Venturefest North East, with backing from the North East LEP, North East Finance, the North East BIC and Innovate UK.

Simon Green, Executive Director at Venturefest North East, said: “Venturefest’s investor introductions have helped secure hundreds of thousands of pounds in finance for businesses across the North East over the past few years and FinanceCamp builds on this success story.

“Businesses told us that they needed more opportunities to explore their finance options throughout the year and we have responded with this exciting new programme designed to save time and simplify the investment process.”

Hans Möller, Innovation Director at the North East LEP, said: “We know SMEs have struggled to secure finance in recent years and as such wholeheartedly support initiatives like FinanceCamp North East and our own North East Investment Fund, which provide businesses with the capital they need to grow and create new jobs.

“The Venturefest North East team has done a fantastic job getting this new scheme off the ground.”

Support provided to businesses taking part in FinanceCamp will be tailored to their needs, stage of growth and structure.

Expert advisers will work with each participant to explain all of the finance routes open to them, weigh up what fits their plans best and prepare their proposition to make it as attractive as possible to investors. Once they are fully prepared, businesses will then be introduced to a range of potential funders.

This initiative is part of a wider programme being developed with around 50 partner organisations to support innovation in the North East. Led by the Venturefest North East team, the programme is supported by Innovate UK and the North East LEP and North East BIC, with part-funding from the European Regional Development Fund.

For more information and to apply for FinanceCamp North East visit financecamp.co.uk

Tag: North East

Photography celebrates region at airport

North East LEP reaction to ONS regional labour market statistics

In conversation with Professor Matt Boyle OBE about innovation in the North East

North East Coalition files world-class Freeport bid

North East region responds to National Infrastructure Assessment

Thinking global to grow the North East economy

FinanceCamp North East pitches as the future of investment for regional businesses