North East England has a highly skilled and loyal labour force to meet investor needs.
The region has nearly 57,000 advanced manufacturing engineering employees out of a total of 110,000 working in wider manufacturing roles. We have one of the UK’s lowest labour turnover rates and offer exceptional specialist training facilities for investors to access.
With over 124,000 students in the region, businesses located here have a strong talent pool of skilled workers coming through. Over three-quarters of North East students who study here opt to stay, making it much easier to recruit and retain local staff beyond graduation.
This loyalty is achieved through a joint commitment between education and business, to mould work-ready graduates by giving them real-world experiences to guide them into their chosen field of expertise.
The North East Combined Authority is working proactively to stimulate engagement between industry and skills providers and educators, such as through facilitating the Energi Coast skills group. This aims to make the North East an Offshore Wind sector skills destination, which delivers demand-led provision to enable the sector to grow and thrive.
World-class universities
Over 124,000 students study at the region’s five universities, with more than 54,000 studying Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics subjects.
Our five universities work hand-in-hand with our energy companies to drive forward cutting-edge sector research. Durham Energy Institute, for example, has a strategic partnership with Orsted, the leading offshore wind developer in the world. It provides academic expertise and access to data and funding in research areas such as renewables generation and carbon capture and storage.
Colleges
Our region’s colleges are leading the way with innovative courses and pioneering facilities to support the sector.
Newcastle College’s Energy Academy offers qualifications up to degree level in energy technology, manufacturing, maintenance and apprenticeships and has recently launched the world’s most advanced Immersive Hybrid Reality (iHR) offshore wind training facility.
Northumberland Welding and Fabrication training centre is located at the Port of Blyth, the centre will equip students leaving school with the skills they need to kickstart their career in advanced manufacturing, engineering, construction, marine and clean energy sectors. Welding short courses for adults, bespoke packages for employers looking to upskill workforce and apprenticeship training programmes are also available. www.northumberlandskills/welding
South Shields Marine School is an OPITO approved training centre, has a worldwide reputation for outstanding maritime training.
Private sector training
This training excellence is enhanced by a number of exceptional private sector training providers in the region, including:
- Port Training Services (PTS) – Is the training division of the Port of Blyth and provides first-class training to companies and individuals operating in offshore energy and renewables, port and marine sectors. As part of its offer – a first for the UK wind industry – the facility features a modified, former operational wind turbine for practical training alongside a dedicated training centre with modern classrooms and facilities. The turbine features a duplicate nacelle unit designed for safe training at height with the original nacelle located at ground level for technical training.
- Maersk Training – provides training services to maritime and offshore energy production industries worldwide. The company offers maritime, oil and gas, wind, and crane operations training services. It also provides training services in the areas of survival, safety and security, people skills, and human resources.
- 3t Training Services – 3t delivers world-class specialist training for the offshore oil & gas, wind energy and industrial sectors. From their state-of-the-art industrial training facilities in North Tyneside, 3t offers a comprehensive portfolio of mandatory and optional skills, competency and safety courses endorsed by the world’s leading trade associations.
- TDR Training and Apprenticeships – TDR’s mission is to deliver the highest quality, customer-focused training and development experiences. TDR offer training and apprenticeships for the offshore energy industry in engineering and manufacturing, including fabrication and welding.
Energy Central Campus is a new flagship facility to further strengthen the areas leading role in driving the clean energy revolution with state of the art industrial training, education and STEM related skills facilities. The hub will include major conferencing capabilities, events space, clean energy visitor centre and a lecture theatre to encourage collaboration between employers, education institutions and research facilities. Located at South Harbour, Port of Blyth. Opening 2024.
