18


Issue 6 2013


///UK NORTH EAST


Cradle of Britain’s second industrial revolution?


There’s a lot more to the North-east than steel and shipbuilding these days. It takes time for perception to catch up with reality, but the region is turning into one of the country’s most vibrant exporting areas: pharma, renewable energy, high tech, biotech – it’s all there. And the freight industry is at the forefront.


Setting sail for a promising career


Teesside school leavers Laura Becker and Kelly Mann set sail from Teesport on an eleven-day round trip to St Petersburg via Rotterdam, Riga and Helsinki with local shipping line, Containerships. They were the first of four


young people who successfully applied for a place on the vessel as part of a wider summer scheme led by new charity, the High Tide Foundation. The trip offered a unique insight


into life on a working ship and illustrated how important cargoes are


imported and exported


around the world. Laura and Kelly had the chance to meet the Captain and observe crew members’ daily duties, as well as spending some free time taking in the sights of Rotterdam, Riga and Helsinki. Containerships’ MD and


High Tide member Andy Frost said the initiative would raise the employment and lifestyle aspirations of the young people of Teesside and inspire them to achieve greater things: “Established here in the late 1960s, Containerships has experienced and weathered the economic storms which have hit the Teesside area over the years and I believe that now is the time for the local business community to come together to give hope and belief to the next generation, and those that follow, that they have a future in the region. “I hope that our small


contribution to the High Tide Foundation, and the experience it will create for those involved, will encourage other local business to join us in making the project a


dock, fortunately not an event that has happened in real life). Frost continued: “We also oſten


have youngsters doing work experience with us. It’s something we feel obligated to do – to give people some hope that there are jobs. And there are perhaps more opportunities in shipping than some people realise.” Middlesbrough-based AV


Dawson is another local company that is participating in High Tide. “We’ve signed up two apprentices


and we’re keen to promote more,” said managing director, Gary Dawson. He said: “A lot of the kids think in terms of getting a job in retail, perhaps, but they don’t realise that companies on the river or crying out for people coming out of education.” He added that the High Tide scheme had introduced much more rigorous oversight of apprentices’ progress – for example, by ensuring that they actually attended prescribed college courses.


success for the future benefit of the local community and businesses on Teesside.” David Robinson, High Tide


Trustee and CEO, PD Ports, said: “We are delighted to see some of our young people in the region being given an opportunity to experience a very real and engaging work placement experience. High Tide is founded on the principles of engagement and collaboration both with young people and connected private sector businesses on and around the River Tees. “This fantastic opportunity


Containerships has offered these young people is the first significant output from the High Tide Foundation and we aim to create many more like it. With so many of today’s young people lacking the necessary skills and knowledge to help support them on a fruitful career path, High Tide aims to open the minds of young


people, raising their aspirations and providing real employment opportunities.” Some


16 school leavers


embarked on the summer scheme which provides


each


young person with valuable work experience in local companies on the River Tees. The summer scheme offers


each participant a two week placement over the summer holidays to help young people leaving school to gain an understanding of life in the workplace, as well as the variety of careers available whilst providing them an opportunity to earn a reference they can use on their CVs.


Companies that are taking part in this summer scheme include Agility Logistics, Casper Shipping, Containerships, Cory Brothers, Denholm Wilhelmsen, PD Ports, Richard Fox Transport and SABIC. Containerships’ Andy Frost and


regional sales manager Les Warren reported on 18 July that the trip was going extremely well and that the two young lady participants had already emailed saying that they wanted to become ships’ engineers. The scheme had also been


very useful in increasing the public’s currently rather scant perception of the industry, added Frost. “There is currently very little local knowledge about the employment opportunities here on the river Tees. When we have done promotions, we oſten get told be people: ‘We never knew all this existed on our doorstep’.” The fact that dock activities


took place behind security gates didn’t help the industry’s profile, although it was getting better. Warren added: “TV programmes like the BBC’s ‘The Box’ have helped; even the A-Team feature film” (which featured a containership blowing up in a


Career openings on the Tyne


The Port of Tyne has opened up five new apprenticeship openings in administration, accountancy or civil engineering. While ports are traditionally associated with maritime and engineering opportunities, Tyne is now recruiting across its business. It plans to more than treble the number of apprenticeships this year. Director of human resources,


Geoff Gillon, explains: “We have extended


the apprenticeship


programme to many other areas. We now offer more Business Administration apprenticeships in Facilities, HR and Engineering, as well as two new apprenticeships in Civil Engineering and Accountancy. Amy Adams joined the port


earlier this year as a business administration apprentice. She said: “I have been able to be very


Amy Adams


hands on and gain a lot of real work experience. I would tell anyone thinking of applying to just to go for it - it’s a really good opportunity to work for one of the region’s leading businesses and it has really given me a great head start in a new career.”


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