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Career pathways for shortage roles

A new resource to boost skills in the region’s health and life sciences sector


Health and Life Sciences – Career pathways for shortage roles is a new resource designed to help:

  • Businesses working in the region’s health and life sciences sector address skills shortages for key roles
  • Education and training providers develop industry relevant curriculum
  • The wider industry grow and thrive in the North East.

It has been developed in response to the publication of the North East Health, Life Sciences and Medicines Manufacturing Strategy, which aims to double the number of jobs and businesses in the health and life sciences sector by 2030.


What is Health and Life Sciences – Career pathways for shortage roles?

A free online resource for businesses working in the North East’s health and life sciences sector, Health and Life Sciences – Career pathways for shortage roles outlines the basic and essential skills needed for six key roles where a shortage of appropriately skilled candidates has been identified. The six key roles are:

  • Analytical Chemist
  • Process Engineer
  • Software Engineer
  • Quality Assurance Manager
  • Lab Technician
  • Project Manager.

What help and support can businesses access?

Employers can see the education and training routes available in the region to allow them to grow talent into the six specific roles, including:

Education and training

  • Apprenticeships
  • T Levels
  • Further education.

Uptake of apprenticeships and other vocational qualifications is very low in the health and life sciences sector.

The resource uses existing good practice and occupational maps from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) to identify better ways to utilise apprenticeship funding and advancements in technical education to develop talent into the six key shortage roles.

Education contacts and courses

Businesses can access information on local education contacts as well as training and courses relevant to each role.

Case studies

Employers can also read case studies about local employers who have successfully adopted the education and training routes outlined in the resource to increase workforce development.


What support is available for education and training providers?

Insight to develop an industry relevant curriculum

In addition to supporting employers in the region with recruitment challenges, the new resource also provides information on skills shortages in the sector, which education and training providers can use to inform the development of an industry relevant curriculum and inform young people about career pathways into in the sector.


How do I access the resources?

Visit the Health and Life Sciences – Career pathways for shortage roles resource.

Visit the North East Health and Life Sciences Sector Careers Toolkit.

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Young trainees share their experiences of gaining conservation, woodland and land management skills

Young people who took part in six-month traineeships in Northumberland have shared their experiences of gaining skills in conservation, land management and woodland maintenance.

The trainees took part in Groundwork North East’s Green Futures programme, which was part-funded by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)’s Local Growth Fund VCSE Capital Grant programme, which aims to help communities across the North East recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.


Overall, more than 50 young people aged between 16 and 24 have taken part in training and volunteering, gaining skills that will set them up for future careers in the ‘green economy’. Five of the young people completed six-month paid Kickstart traineeships, working at two sites: Pegswood Moor Country Park and Pegswood Community Woods, near Morpeth, Northumberland.

Here, they share their experiences of the Kickstart placements:

What made you decide to apply for a Kickstart traineeship at Groundwork North East in Northumberland?

Ethan M: “I was unemployed after my A levels and I started volunteering at Groundwork NE as I am interested in conservation and wildlife. So I applied for the Kickstart job.”

Will: “I liked the idea of helping wildlife and being outdoors, I had worked in a primary school as a lunchtime assistant for two hours a day, this involved serving food, supervising the children and writing up first aid incidents. Before that I was at college doing art, design and animation and then I decided I wanted to get into more physical outdoor work.”

What has been your favourite aspect of the programme?

Dale: “For me, the opportunity to get qualifications in tree surgery and related land qualifications. I don’t think I could have got them otherwise as I have been trying for seven years. But between living, rent and food there wasn’t enough…I have really enjoyed being part of the Kickstart Team working alongside other young people at Groundwork in Northumberland. I’ve learned about conservation, protecting wildlife and also gained some really valuable qualifications including tree surgery.”

Ethan M: “I enjoy working with the team – I had only worked in a team in college so now I am more familiar being in a team in a workplace. Everything you do carries everyone in the team so it’s important that no-one is doing less than anyone else.”

What have you learned through the Green Futures Kickstart programme about sustainable practices which protect the environment?

Ethan M: “We learned about the biology of the trees in Pegswood Country Park which used to be an open cast mine. There has been a lot of storm damage, due to the poor, shallow soil, it is not enough for the roots to grow deeply. We planted thousands of wildflowers in the meadow plantation and we have also done crown lifting of trees to improve light and sightlines which helps deter anti-social behaviour. We have removed blackthorn – they are invasive as they will grow through paths so they need cleared.”

Will: “We have learned all about pruning and lopping techniques, how to saw and what to prune or not prune so that trees don’t get diseased. We have been doing crown lifting to allow more sunlight to come in and let the smaller trees grow better and to allow clearer pathways so everything is not packed together.”

What has it been like being part of a team of Kickstarters?

Ethan M: “This was my first time in a working environment, it’s been a great experience and especially useful for me to work in a team on a regular basis.”

Will: “It was good to get an idea of what it is like in a work environment and working with different people, I have not really experienced that. At Groundwork we have worked with people doing different jobs so this has included working in the country park and with local community groups who partner with Groundwork.”

Can you talk about the individual projects you have worked on and give some examples of the practical skills you have achieved?

Curzon: “I used oak to make a rustic bench as a feature in the park, it would have cost a fortune to buy it and we used wood that would otherwise have rotted. Working with the Ashington Woods Community Group, one of the Friends, Dennis, has an Alaskan style saw mill which we learned how to use…It took a lot of force to push it and I learned how to keep it straight and keep the chainsaw steady. These skills have been great to learn.”

Will and Ethan: “We are going to make more benches as when Groundwork have talked to local people, it is important for them to have spaces to have a rest. We are going to find out where they would like these in the park and then make and install these as part of our project. It will form an accessible route around the park.”

What has it been like working with Groundwork North East staff?

Will: “I’ve become much more familiar with daily tasks, knowing what to do with each task so I can be more independent when getting ready to work on jobs around the park. Doing things more independently is a good feeling and it makes me feel confident about my job.”

Have you enjoyed getting involved in sessions with volunteers and the wider community?

Ethan M: “We worked with volunteers at the pit heap, the community woods volunteers and school children who volunteer form a local school regularly. It was sad after Storm Arwen as the Friends of Pegswood Woods were devastated that there were hundreds of wind blow trees. One of the volunteers, Jean, was in tears.”

Dale: “We worked with Barry, the Tree Officer for Northumberland County Council and Groundwork NE, to help clear the area.”

Do you think your job and employment prospects have improved as a result of your training at Groundwork NE and the Green Futures programme?

Dale: “Gaining qualifications for my CV and having a good job will really help. I have talked to some local employers, it makes it more enticing to hire you. The companies have some commercial projects coming up so they will contact me when spaces become available and I am also looking for jobs. I’d be really happy if I don’t have to move away.”

What advice would you give other young people seeking opportunities?

Dale: “Even if it’s not a job you might be interested in give it a shot.”

Ethan M: “Volunteering paved the way absolutely for me at Pegswood Country Park, it definitely helped me to get onto this programme. I would say keep looking for opportunities and don’t give up.”

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Harnessing digital potential in the North East

At the start of October, a new digital strategy for the North East was launched. Digital for Growth brings together partners from across the region to maximise opportunities for growth and investment. North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Skills Director, Michelle Rainbow, talks about digital skills and how our workforce will form a vital component of this new digital strategy.

The North East is a region with a vibrant digital ecosystem that is packed with the potential to deliver economic growth and more, new jobs as it continues to flourish.

That’s not just jobs which might be typically defined as digital – for example, gaming design or software development – but roles across all areas of industry, as more and more organisations embrace digitalisation and the increased productivity it brings

To make sure we’re in the best possible position to reap the benefits of digitalisation for our region, we need to focus on the digital skills needs that we know exist in the North East. We must make sure that people in our area – both our existing workforce and the workforce of the future – have the digital skills that employers are looking for, and the skills that will allow everyone to fully take part in an increasingly digitalised society.

We want to completely dispel any myths and stereotypes that exist when people think about digital skills, or careers in the digital sector, and we want to empower people of all ages and backgrounds to upskill and take advantage of new technologies and digital job opportunities.

Part of our work around this will be to link employers closely with schools, colleges and education providers to ensure that young people, from primary-school age onwards, understand the range of possibilities open to them in our region, whether that’s a career in a digitally focussed organisation or a role in any sector which will require sound digital skills.

The Digital for Growth strategy focuses on the many digital hubs and networks we have in the region, plus our colleges, universities and training providers. Strong relationships between education and industry are already having a positive impact and we want to see more of this happening throughout the region, across businesses of all sizes and types.

We also believe it’s especially important that employers continue to look to the future, champion digital skills development and invest in training for their workforce. Lifelong learning, training opportunities, mid-career retraining and non-linear career paths are other examples of areas where employers can take positive action to upskill existing workers and help to secure a pipeline of appropriately-skilled people for years to come.

The North East LEP aims to create 100,000 more and better jobs in the North East by 2024, and many of these jobs will be within the digital sector, or they will require strong digital skills.

Working together to address our digital skills needs is vital if we are to make sure that people in our region can enjoy a better quality of life, if our businesses are to continue to grow and take on new staff, and if our young people are to build fulfilling and successful careers.

Read more about the North East’s Digital for Growth strategy here. If you’d like to join the North East LEP’s working group for digital skills, please get in touch at [email protected].