A series of careers events stretching across the region aims to draw young people's attention to green jobs on their doorstep.
North East mayor Kim McGuinness has announced a Green Jobs Roadshow that will welcome school children into North East workplaces to understand more about the careers on offer. Speaking at this week's Offshore Wind North East conference in Sunderland, Ms McGuinness called on businesses to back the events as she pointed to £19.5m investment she has overseen in green skills over the last year.
There are said to be more than 550 renewable energy companies in the North East employing 17,000 people and the mayor's Growth Plan aims to see that number reach 24,000 within a decade. Work so far has included £7m invested in the Blyth Energy Central site and £8.5m towards tripling the number of students at the green energy skills academy in Wallsend.
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Ms McGuinness said: “There is a clear disconnect right now between kids who are growing up in sight of our rivers and ports and the well-paid careers currently available in offshore engineering. I speak to apprentices on the Tyne whose school friends in Walker don’t know the opportunities available on their doorstep. The routes into a career in offshore energy aren’t always visible or obvious and that needs to improve so everyone has access to good-quality jobs in a growing sector.
“We have to recognise that when it comes to a great career, sometimes that only happens if young people can see a role they can see themselves in. We can change things for the better. I want businesses to welcome young people - open your doors and show them the opportunities available. I’m going to back businesses with a new green jobs roadshow which will take place across the North East, let’s tie all our efforts together around a vision of an industry it feels natural to work in.”
A number of major job-creating projects in the North East are planned for the coming years, including a near £1bn ambition to bring a subsea electricity cable factory to the Port of Tyne, with 1,500 roles expected to be created. The project, which is led by a subsidiary of South Korean firm LS Group and is slated for a former coal handling site at the port, has the potential to create 500 direct roles and an estimated additional 1,000 jobs within the supply chain.
The mayor's roadshow plans follow announcement of a national training plan that is expected to generate thousands of clean energy jobs for the North East over the next five years. The plan includes the setting up of five new Technical Excellence Colleges that will help train young people for essential roles.