Engagement Team in Action: Championing skills, apprenticeships and future talent in the North East

Written by Owen McAteer (Sector Engagement Lead)

Find out what we’ve been up to recently in the North East of England

"Skills have been high on the agenda in the North East over the past couple of weeks. Firstly, I attended the inaugural Engineering and Manufacturing Leaders Summit at New College Durham. It was a brilliant day of speakers, panels and seminars, with lots of discussion around the importance of addressing skills challenges and investing in workforce development.

"It was also great to catch up with Alex Knight MBE CEng FIMechE, who was speaking at the event following her recent MBE for her fantastic work inspiring young people and driving inclusion in engineering and the wider STEM sector. Congratulations to the college and Theo James Recruitment Ltd for collaborating on such an inspiring event.

"How businesses are working with education providers to create opportunities also came to the fore at the Teesside University Engineering Degree Apprenticeships talent matching event in Middlesbrough. It was great to chat to organisations about how much they value degree apprenticeships as a route into the industry.

"Then last Friday, I had the pleasure of leading a panel discussion with an outstanding group of young apprentices and T-level students at our first SME apprenticeship engagement event, held in partnership between Enginuity and South Tyneside College. Each of them spoke brilliantly and gave such a positive impression of the talent coming into our sector. Neil B. and Tony at South Tyneside College, along with Leanne Hume Assoc CIPD at Ford Aerospace, also delivered excellent and engaging presentations."

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