Tag: Northern Powerhouse

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New website helps people access job and training opportunities in the North East

A new website with job opportunities, apprenticeships and training courses in the North East has been launched to support people in the North East who have lost their job as a result of the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.

www.northeastopportunities.co.uk lists opportunities in the North East, with similar sites available in other regions across the North of England.

Michelle Rainbow, Skills Director at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Businesses and communities in the North East have been hit hard by the pandemic, and we have seen our rate of unemployment increase. This new website is the result of collaboration across the North and makes it easy for people to see the employment and training opportunities that are available in our region.”

The North has been disproportionally affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, suffering an estimated decline of 20.7% in GVA between 2019 and Q2 2020. The NP11 – a group of all 11 Northern local enterprise partnerships – has partnered with software specialist PDMS, to launch a pilot of their innovative online service called SignedUp Skills to help those affected. The pilot will run until the end of 2020, with the aim that if successful, it could develop into a long-term initiative.

The free-to-use platform makes it easier for those across the North, who have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, to find new employment and training opportunities in their local area. The website is a comprehensive resource for accessing real-time vacancies, training courses, and apprenticeships across the region, as well as finding opportunities from throughout the UK.

More than just a traditional online jobs board, the service provides users with unique insights into their region’s growing industries and identify the skills and training most in demand in their communities. This includes information and signposting towards industries where there is particular demand and important regional sectors.

People from across the North can use the platform to access a wealth of employment and training opportunities immediately. This resource will enable those who have been adversely affected economically by COVID-19 to plan their next career steps in confidence. Careers guidance, information, and advice will also be provided on the website.

Roger Marsh OBE DL, Chair of the NP11 and Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, commented: “Many people and businesses across the North find themselves facing an uncertain economic future.

“Now more than ever, to achieve a confident North with the skills it needs to thrive, we must work across sectors to build a culture of  progression and development in our business that helps both companies and individuals flourish.

“The North will be integral to the future economic recovery and prosperity of the nation. However, our region’s recovery can only be as strong as the economic strength and security of the people living here. To deliver extraordinary economic and social transformation, we must not only invest in the technology and the skills for today, but also for the future.

“Working together with LEPs, combined authorities, Mayors and civic leaders to address the skills gap, our ambition is to create a careers platform for the whole of the North, which will guide people through these difficult times and help connect them with prospective job opportunities.”

Chris Gledhill, Managing Director of PDMS, commented: “Throughout the pandemic, technology has allowed us to stay connected with family, friends, and colleagues. As we enter a new phase of this crisis, we can draw upon our software expertise to now connect people with new employment and training opportunities.

“We’re delighted to be partnering with the NP11 in this pilot project which creates a platform to transform the lives of its users for the future and establishes a new starting point for labour market interventions.”

Visit the North East website at www.northeastopportunities.co.uk.

 

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Energy and clean growth in the Northern Powerhouse

At the start of November, a major two-day event in Hull will bring together energy sector businesses, policy-makers and researchers from across the North. North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Chair, Andrew Hodgson, who will be chairing a panel discussion at the event, looks ahead to the Energy & Clean Growth in the Northern Powerhouse conference.

The Energy & Clean Growth conference is the next stage in an ongoing process of collaboration, as we work together with partners across the Northern Powerhouse to showcase the combined energy capabilities of the North, and to illustrate how the North has a vital role to play in tackling global challenges of clean growth.

In late 2017, the Northern Energy Taskforce published the Northern Energy Strategy, with a vision of creating the leading low-carbon energy region in the UK, with an energy economy worth £15 billion per annum and 100,000 green jobs.

And now, the Energy & Clean Growth conference has been organised by the NP11 – the 11 Local Enterprise Partnerships that cover the 76 Local Authorities in the North of England – to shine a spotlight on clean growth, the new technologies being developed here in the North, and the opportunities we have as a region within the energy and clean growth arena.

We know that here in the North East we have fantastic history and a bright future in the energy sector. Our region is home to a globally important offshore energy and subsea technology cluster; we have comprehensive innovation and demonstration assets; and we have partnerships like the North East Energy Catalyst which is focused on accelerating decarbonisation, driving economic growth and delivering on national policy.

But we are not just looking at this on a sub-regional level. It’s important that we also show the breadth of what we have to offer across the wider North and that we make sure the combined capabilities of the North are recognised nationally and internationally.

The conference in Hull will bring together more than a thousand delegates from the energy sector, it will spark conversations and it will bring stronger linkages between the different elements of the energy supply chain. I hope that it will also result in even stronger links between industry and academia, bringing research into new technologies up front and centre.

The timing of this conference is important. Energy is a hugely important part of the UK’s Industrial Strategy and this conference comes at a time when many Local Enterprise Partnerships are in the process of publishing their own Local Industrial Strategies. Discussion and debate like we will see at the Energy & Clean Growth event will influence how energy is positioned within these strategies.

And of course, these discussions are all taking place at a time when we are facing global challenges on clean growth and the growth of industry. The UK Government has committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and the Northern Powerhouse has a leading role to play in achieving this aim.

What we can contribute to the energy agenda when we work together is huge and I look forward to making further progress towards our goals for the Northern Powerhouse in November.

Andrew Hodgson, Chair, North East Local Enterprise Partnership.

Energy and Clean Growth in the Northern Powerhouse takes place on 5 and 6 November in Hull. Find out more.

 

 

 

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Responding to Powerhouse 2050: The North’s Routemap for Productivity

Richard Baker, Head of Strategy and Policy at the North East LEP, comments on the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, Powerhouse 2050, report.

On Friday, the Northern Powerhouse Partnership (NPP) published their report Powerhouse 2050: The North’s Routemap for Productivity, which sets out proposals for driving forward four areas of Northern Industrial excellence.

The report has been produced following a summer of discussion and engagement with economic partners from across the north and the proposals aim to show how, with government funding and business support, the North of England can make a step change in economic performance to rival the best countries and regions in the world.

The NPP highlight Advanced Manufacturing & Materials, Energy, Digital Technology and Health Innovation as the areas of the economy in which the North of England is seen to have the opportunity to achieve the greatest global competitive advantage. They set out an ambitious vision to create an additional 850,000 jobs by 2050 and contribute an extra £97bn to the UK economy, and call for collaboration between the Government, Northern Leaders and the business community to transform the North and truly unlock its potential.

Long term opportunity

The proposals are, of course, strongly welcomed by the North East LEP. We share with LEPs and other partners across the North of England a determination to rebalance the UK economy, ensuring that we deliver not just more, but better opportunities for our residents and our businesses and strengthen our role in the UK. As we move towards a UK Industrial Strategy and contemplate the challenges and opportunities created by Brexit this is a ‘must do’ for the UK as a whole.

We welcome the recognition of the many assets we have here in the North East and the synergies between the areas of opportunity identified in the report and the proposals we set out in the North East Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) refreshed earlier this year.

And the proposed collaborative approach mirrors that which we believe to be central to the successful delivery of the SEP – as we work to foster strong partnerships between the business community and leaders from National and Local government and education to deliver More and Better jobs. We are aiming to strengthen our work with other areas across the North and other parts of the UK where this collaboration can deliver more by pooling our strengths and our voice.

Encouragement to do more

We should take encouragement from some of the central findings of the report. The NPP draw from a significant piece of independent economic analysis which was undertaken for Transport for the North last year to underpin their proposals.

The analysis looked at which parts of the Northern economy had the most potential to drive long term growth and improved productivity. It modeled the impact which could be delivered from the kind of determined and focused long term investment set out in the report. Looking to the long term, we should note that of the 11 LEP areas of the North of England, it is the North East which is projected to deliver the highest rate of gross value added and productivity growth in the second quarter of the century (at 2.9% GVA and 2.2% GVA per head per annum compared with 2.5% and 1.8% respectively for the whole of the North).

This data should prompt us to renew our determination to press on with the delivery of the North East SEP, to ensure that our areas of opportunity can deliver this long term growth for our region, as well as driving our own more immediate targets of 100,000 more jobs between 2014 and 2024, with 70% of them being ‘better’ jobs.

This work is already underway

The proposals identified in Powerhouse 2050 draw from and complement the work being delivered through the SEP by partners across the North East which aims to maximize the impact of our four key areas of opportunity as well as our key enabling service sectors and investment in our business environment and key infrastructure:

Our digital technological capabilities, which boast specialisms in data analytics, virtual reality, smart data and cyber security.
World leading businesses in offshore and subsea technology working in a number of sectors including oil and gas and offshore renewables and a range of new energy technologies coming on stream which can increase our contribution to the UK’s energy economy.

Strengths in globally focused advanced manufacturing with strong clusters in automotive and medicines. As the NPP recognise, there is significant growth potential available through inward investment, supply chain development and exports in these sectors and new opportunities to embed a focus on innovation and higher skills.

New innovation centres in healthcare and life-sciences, including national centres of excellence in ageing, smart data formulation and healthcare photonics are now coming on stream and will create opportunities to take advantage of world class science, innovative small businesses and a research focused health care system.

Opportunities for significant growth in ‘better’ jobs in areas, including financial and professional services and education and through logistics.

Opportunities to do more

Powerhouse 2050: The North’s Routemap for Productivity clearly recognises the North East’s potential, and supports new proposals for investment here in the North East including the recently awarded National Innovation Centre for Data, supporting the recently announced 5G testbed programme and new North East proposals to focus on a new national Centre for Smart Medicine and a Centre for Sustainable Advanced Manufacturing (CESAM). Alongside key investments such as the Metro replacement programme, critical to regional labour market mobility, and a range of other key infrastructure developments across the region, there is a strong pipeline in place on which to build our future.

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Welcoming the Northern Powerhouse Minister to the region

Andrew Hodgson, Chair of the LEP Board, welcomed the Northern Powerhouse Minister to the North East in his recent column for the Journal newspaper.

It was good to welcome Jake Berry, the new Northern Powerhouse Minister, to the North East this week.

 

Taking the time to meet with regional business leaders just days into his new role and learn about our world class subsea sector on a visit to North Tyneside, confirmed his commitment to the Northern Powerhouse programme.

 

As they say, actions speak louder than words and blocking out his diary to press the flesh in the North East and Cumbria resonated with businesses.

 

The minister was clear in his meeting with the North East LEP and its partners at The Sage that on his appointment, the Prime Minister Theresa May tasked him with reinvigorating the Northern Powerhouse.

 

He said she reaffirmed the Government’s support for the Northern Powerhouse which is viewed in Westminster as the key economic policy tool to rebalance the North-South divide.

 

Liverpool-born and a North West constituency MP, it was clear that the minister gets the North and has its best interests at heart.

 

His commitment is to help narrow the productivity gap which has blighted the North and stopped it contributing its full economic worth to the national economy.

 

No small task. But a cause with which he will find many allies across our region.

 

We took the time to emphasise to him the central role the North East plays in this economic rebalancing.

 

Our refreshed Strategic Economic Plan underpins all the economic activity in the region to help it reach its target of 100,000 new jobs in the decade to 2024.

 

The minister was encouraged to learn that we are ahead of schedule, creating 58,500 new jobs to date – with 60% of these posts in the ‘better jobs’ category of technical, managerial and professional roles.

 

A visit to Newcastle University’s new National Centre for Subsea and Offshore Engineering in Wallsend emphasised to the minister in the clearest possible way the region’s commitment to driving new economic growth through focussing on key   business sectors.

 

The LEP told the minister of the importance of subsea, offshore and energy technologies,   advanced manufacturing and engineering especially in automotive and medicines, life sciences, digital and financial, professional and business services to North East economic growth.

 

These areas of world class excellence are helping generate the wealth, new and skilled jobs and productivity fuelling record levels of employment and cutting the numbers of people out of work.

 

The fundamental role the North East has to play in the success of the economic rebalancing of the North of England economy was recognised in the recent Northern Powerhouse Independent Economic Review.

 

The evidence confirmed the importance of the North East and its growing economy in driving overall growth in the North of England.

 

Far from being on the periphery, our region is front and centre to the progress of the Northern Powerhouse.

 

 

 

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UK Northern Powerhouse International Conference & Exhibition 2017

The first UK Northern Powerhouse International Conference & Exhibition was held in Manchester in February 2016. The event was attended by over 2,500 business leaders and produced the UK Northern Powerhouse Outcomes Report that was launched in Parliament on 25 April 2016.

The next UK Northern Powerhouse International Conference & Exhibition will be held at Manchester Central on February 21 and 22, 2017.

The UK Northern Powerhouse International Conference & Exhibition aims to be the biggest quality showcase for commercial expertise in the North, dedicated to creating wealth for all the North’s communities.

The event is supported by the Chief Executives of all the major cities of the North of England and Local Enterprise Partnerships and the 2017 event will bring together speakers to share some of the latest thinking about making the economy of the region globally competitive.

Booking for the UK Northern Powerhouse International Conference & Exhibition is now open via www.uk-northern-powerhouse.com. Early bird booking is available until the end of October 2016.

Find out more

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UK Northern Powerhouse International Conference & Exhibition

The UK Northern Powerhouse International Conference & Exhibition takes place on 25th and 26th February 2016 in central Manchester.

The The official UK Northern Powerhouse International Conference & Exhibition is brought to you by business for business.

– Supported by the Chief Executives of all the major cities of the North of England;
– Backed by the Chairman of the Local Enterprise Partnerships;
– “In demand” speakers with presentations, debates and interviews;
– Quality commercial exhibition with companies ready to do business;
– International delegations attending from Europe`s leading investment hotpots;

This is a unique opportunity to showcase the commercial potential of the North of England in the global market. The UK Northern Powerhouse is already a reality – we just have to leverage our assets and resources in a more productive way.

The UK Northern Powerhouse International Conference & Exhibition is designed to help you increase your business by showcasing prospects for collaborative working and emerging market opportunities influenced by the UK Government`s devolved powers to regional authorities. It is also great way for you to let decision makers know what support you need to get your business to the next level.

The outcomes could be important – for new markets, new products, new services as well as cutting the cost and risk of doing business. So get involved in the biggest commercial conversation in a generation. Join 2000 other senior leaders in Manchester in February and put yourself in the picture.

25 – 26 February 2016, central Manchester.

Use the discount code nelep15% for a 15% reduction on the booking fee.

Download a booking form

www.uk-northern-powerhouse.com