Teesworks Skills Academy hosts employment event

Teesworks Skills Academy threw its doors open this morning (10 February 2023) to local firms working on the Teesworks site.

More than 30 representatives from local businesses across Teesside, Darlington, and Hartlepool heard from the Tees Valley Mayor about how Teesworks can assist them in recruiting and training new employees as their need for workers on site increases over the coming months.

This is just the latest event to be held at the Skills Academy, after it welcomed 200 pupils from across the region late last year for five days of activities as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week. Further Skills Academy sessions are planned with pupils of all ages, to give future local workers an insight into the brilliant opportunities and careers that are coming to the site.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “It was fantastic to speak with all the brilliant businesses this morning who are working tirelessly to make to the Teesworks site a success. Thankfully we are now seeing the results of all the hard yards we have put in to attract investment to the site in the form of good quality jobs.

“With SeAH and Net Zero Teesside already confirmed and more projects in the pipeline, we will see thousands of jobs come to the site in the next few years. This is fantastic for the area, but we need to make sure local people are in a position to take them.

“Since taking control of the site I have worked tirelessly to deliver on my promise to the people of Teesside that I would return the jobs that were lost when the Steelworks closed in 2015. I am pleased to say that we are well on our way to delivering on this and the Skills Academy is just another step towards our goal of creating good quality local jobs for local people.”

Neil Young, skills academy development manager, added: “The Skills Academy has been set up with the remit of making sure people from across the Tees Valley can access the jobs on site.

“My role is to provide a single point of contact and a direct link between the business and education sectors to ensure that the demands of industry on Teesside are being met by our training providers. It is vital that young people from in our area have access to the skills that will allow them to go far, by staying local and to do this we have to get this right now.”

Matt Exley, Applebridge Group business development director, said: “Speaking as a local business, it was fantastic to hear this morning from the Mayor and the Teesworks Skills team.

“You really got the feeling that they wanted to be there and help us, and they were happy to speak with us openly about the plans for the area. Knowing that local businesses are being heard and understood is massively encouraging and we are looking forward to working with the Skills Academy going forward.”

Operating as a one-stop-shop, the academy links jobseekers, local employment hubs and skills providers to create a world-class workforce for the future, equipped with the expertise businesses at the Teesworks site will need to grow and succeed.

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily