1. Employment and Skills Manager
How can we be
‘Future Ready’
in Tees Valley ?
Sue Hannan
Employment and Skills Manager
Tees Valley Unlimited

2. Tees Valley Unlimited (TVU) Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)
Public-Private Partnership
Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough,
Redcar & Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees
Currently going through the process to create a ‘Combined Authority’
LEP Role- ‘To drive forward economic growth’
Key Objective –
‘To Develop the Workforce of the Tees Valley’

3. Importance of Skills
Clear correlation between skills, wage levels, economic prosperity.
16-64 s with NVQ = 27% (35% nat.)
18-24 s claiming JSA = 6.5% (3% nat.)
16-18 s NEET = 8.2% (5.3% nat.)
25-34 s o.o.w. benefits = 16.6% (9.8 % nat.)
27% year olds NVQ4+ (35% nationally) – Annual Population Survey – Dec 2013
7.6% year olds claiming JSA (3.7% nationally) – Job Seekers Allowance Claimants - September 2014
8.2% year olds NEET (5.3% nationally) – Department of Education 2013
There is a clear correlation between skills, wage levels and economic prosperity. In the Tees Valley 27% of year olds have a NVQ4+ qualification compared to 35% nationally (2012/13 APS Figures), with the area showing high levels of youth unemployment (7.6% of year olds claiming JSA in September 14 compared to 3.7% nationally) and NEETS (8.3% of year olds compared to 5.3% nationally ).
Research shows that Tees Valley employers are looking for highly skilled employees, in fact 41% of jobs advertised in the Tees Valley between May and August 2014 were for Professional and Associate Professional jobs. (Source: Labour Insight)
Young people need work ready employability skills – Employers often look for a set of important core skills regardless of the type of work e.g. communication, problem solving, being self-motivated, working under pressure, organisational skills, team working etc. (Source: TV Skills Review Interviews)
Many Tees Valley employers are looking for highly skilled recruits
But- they say ‘work readiness’ is just as important as skills

4. Key Challenges –
Replacement demand – Ageing workforce -UKCES est. 120,000 (highly skilled/experienced) workers will leave over the next 10 years – a ‘ticking time bomb’
Advancing technologies – up-skilling and re-skilling, employers across a range of sectors are finding it difficult to recruit experienced workers with up-to-date skills.
Business growth – 25,000 new jobs due to new products, new business opportunities, supply chain partnerships and market opportunities.
Skills Gaps - All employers/sectors say skills are a big issue!
Replacement Demand; As Tees Valley and the remainder of the North East has an ageing workforce, many employers are aware that the need to replace people, who are being promoted, leaving the workforce or retiring is by far the greatest challenge. These people are often highly skilled. For example the Chemical Processing sector in the Tees Valley are expecting to lose up to 70 per cent of their workforce, and many of their most highly skilled employees over the next ten years.
Advancing technologies and changes in processes; Employers are generally adept at up-skilling and re-skilling their own workforces. However, employers across a range of sectors are finding it difficult to recruit experienced workers with up-to-date knowledge and skills to replace those leaving their workforce.
Business growth; New job opportunities due to new products under development, new business opportunities, effective supply chain partnerships and market opportunities.
Lack of understanding; amongst young people, their parents, teachers and advisers, as well as adults looking for a job, promotion or progression in their career path, about the key employment sectors and the opportunities they offer.

5. What do we need to do?
Positive promotion of the area – dispel myths /old news
Inspire young people at an early age – before they choose their options /earlier?
Inform teachers and parents – info on jobs and skills needed to succeed.
Shape attitudes and behaviours –key requirement from employers but young people need work related experiences
Maximise opportunities for young people –more Apprenticeships (all levels) Graduate jobs, Internships, Work experiences,
Help schools and employers connect- some employers are keen but there’s very little co-ordination.
LEPs can help.
Need for promotion of a more positive image of the Tees Valley/North East as a place to do business, work and live. Dispel old ideas – e.g. ICI has gone so lost the jobs – when it has been replaced by several hundred vibrant smaller companies/international businesses.
Target young people – clear careers information needs to be given to young people and their parents before they choose their subjects.
Teachers and Parents - often have an outdated view of the local economy, with many linking the advanced manufacturing sector to the old ‘ICI days’. Young learners need the support of teachers and parents when deciding which career they wish to pursue, therefore teachers and parents need to be given the most up to date information in relation to the local sectors and careers available in the Tees Valley.
Connect schools to employers – employers are keen to engage with schools to improve communications.
Attitude and behaviours - Attitude is the single most important selection criteria for most of the companies that participated in Skills Review research, it is particularly important in the selection of young people and recently-qualified graduates. ‘Behaviours’ was also a common theme, with HR and Training Managers looking for people to take responsibility for their own workload, work well in teams etc.

6. Current Activities - TVU Skills Portal
Skills Events 2015
‘Big Bang Tees Valley’
18th June – Darlington College
1st July – Teesside Uni – Middlesbrough
7th July - Northumbria Uni – Newcastle
‘Tees Valley Skills’ - November 2015

7. Tees Valley Skills Newsletter
Sector specific news letters go out quarterly to all Learning Providers- Schools, Colleges, Universities and Work Based Leaning Providers with content on Apprenticeships, Funding, Events, Businesses and case studies of young people working in specific sectors.
Topics to date
Tees Valley Skills Portal
Advanced Manufacturing
Logistics
Health & Social Care
Oil & Gas
Digital Creative

8. 21st Century Careers in the Tees Valley
10 short videos –
‘Real young people doing real jobs in the Tees Valley’
Advanced Manufacturing
Digital
Health and Social Care
‘Here come the Girls’ – women in STEM roles
Life Sciences
Logistics
Oil and Gas
Process/Chemical Sector
Supporting Businesses
Young Entrepreneurs
Lesson Plans - to help teachers and careers professionals show the videos, talk about each sector and answer questions to generate interest.
Available as DVDs /to download from the Tees Valley Skills Portal.