The force is strong with Teesside, says expert business panel
Opportunity knocks for Tees businesses in 2024 – but the skills gap remains its biggest challenge. They were two of the key messages that came from the latest Tees Business LIVE event.
The Christmastime event, the last organised by Tees Business in 2023, saw around 100 people attend Stockton’s quirky Warehouse Kitchen and Bar for a lunchtime mix of networking, refreshments and expert panel discussion.
The eye-catching venue, on Stockton’s Preston Farm Industrial Estate, has recently opened a first-floor room, Hangar 7, fitted out on a Star Wars theme.
And the four-strong panel felt the force was with the Tees Valley as it entered 2024 – but a potential skills gap was a main concern.
Click HERE[1] to see our gallery of pictures from the event
Tees Valley Business Board chair Siobhan McArdle said that in 2024, various projects, including Net Zero Teesside and a growing infrastructure, will be coming to fruition – especially in the area of “clean, green growth”.
She said: “Looking at the economic forecast, there are going to be 30,000 jobs in the ‘clean, green growth’ space by 2040 in the Tees Valley – that’s not a political statement and imaginary roles, they are real jobs across the sector.”
Picture: Tom Banks
But she asked: “How are we going to get the skills into the Tees Valley population so that it’s Tees Valley people who take advantage of these opportunities?
“How are we going to get the workforce strategy that’s fit for purpose and how are we going to go with a skills plan from seven-year-olds up and get everybody into the workplace for what will be great, high-value jobs?”
John McGee, managing director of fast-growing Middlesbrough business Durata, agreed the progress with projects such as Teesworks, SeAH Wind and Teesside Airport was “fantastic”.
He told the meeting: “I spend the majority of my life in London and Germany and to have colleagues in London wanting to come to Teesside to get in on the act says a lot about the region.”
But he felt it was up to employers to help address the skills situation by promoting and training within.
He said: “One of my big passions is apprenticeships and training.
“We are taking quite a lot of apprentices on at the minute, from administration to engineering, and moving forward, we’re looking at working with Middlesbrough College to provide lead-scholarships.
“But it’s down to the employers to bridge those skills gaps.”
AV Dawson people and culture director Louise Croce felt the Teesside Freeport was both an opportunity and challenge for the company.
She said: “The freeport is huge for us and AV Dawson very much wants to be a part of that from a logistics and storage port point of view.
“But that is a challenge for us as well, particularly given the skills situation.
“We know that the area is going to have approximately 18,000 jobs in the next five years, but where are those people going to come from?
“Businesses like ours may find we lose people and we’re going to have to retain some of our key employees.
“So, it’s great for the region and something positive, having the freeport there, but there is a flipside.”
And Punch Robson Solicitors managing partner Elaine McLaine-Wood felt that while investment in the region had been “excellent”, she felt political upheaval locally – such as the ousting of former Middlesbrough mayor Andy Preston – brought some challenges.
She said: “I’ve acted for clients who have entered agreements for leases with a view to opening up various areas of trade in Middlesbrough that have now been turned on their heads for various things.
“It does appear that politics sits behind it, which is unfortunate because it’s a bit like a tumbleweed in Middlesbrough – that investment, that thought process, the independence.
“With politics and an election coming up, you have confidence issues that can affect stocks and shares, never mind how our investors feel, and people coming into the region.
“What we’ve got to do, as a region and a business community, is always stand strong.
“No matter what happens, the sun will still shine and we’ll continue with the opportunities by shouting about all the good stuff that we do.”
The first Tees Business LIVE of 2024 takes place at Wilton Centre, near Redcar, 12-2pm on Thursday, January 25. The event, in association with Aspire Technology Solutions, will focus on cyber security and keeping your business safe. You can book your place at the event HERE[2].