Nearly half a million pounds of funding has been allocated to increase workforce training on Teesside, as the region presses ahead with new energy projects.
ECITB, the arms-length government body which oversees standards and qualifications for engineering construction workers in the UK, has announced an investment of £478,000 to help build an immersive pipefitting, welding, mechanical and project-based training rig in Teesside.
It’s hoped the investment will help Redcar & Cleveland College and NETA Training – part of the Education Training Collective – to train more than 400 potential new recruits to the engineering construction industry over the next five years.
They were awarded the money after submitting a bid to ECITB’s Regional Skills Hub funding, which is focused on increasing training in areas of significant infrastructure investment.
Grants of between £50,000 and £500,000 are available to projects which meet set criteria.
The training rig will be a flagship asset of NETA Training’s new £14.7m Thornaby base, which is due to be completed in January 2026.
The rig, which will have welding, fabrication and mechanical apparatus, will help develop skills for construction or shutdown projects through the provision of immersed environment training.
In December the government approved £22bn of investment in carbon capture projects in the UK, including at Teesside. That funding unlocked construction on Net Zero Teesside Power (NZT), a gas-fired power station at the former Redcar steelworks site, as well as the Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP) carbon capture scheme to be built with it.
NZT is a joint venture between BP and Equinor, while NEP shares joint venture partners with the addition of TotalEnergies.
It’s the latest attempt to upskill the region’s workers in the face of shortages in the required fields.
Last month, the Tees Valley Net Zero Industry Scholarship was launched, funded by NZT and NEP, which hopes to fund apprenticeships in welding, instrumentation, pipefitting, electrical engineering, and civil operations.
Investment
Alongside the ECITB investment, the UK government’s Levelling Up Fund has delivered a new welding block at Redcar and Cleveland College, with equipment and resources funded by the Local Skills Improvement Fund.
ECITB chief executive Andrew Hockey said: “Our Labour Forecasting Tool predicts that the ECI could need thousands of additional workers over the coming years for major projects, such as the ones on Teesside.
“Our 2024 Workforce Census revealed that 77% of industry employers in the North East are experiencing challenges in hiring workers. Pipefitters and welders are among the roles proving most difficult to recruit, with employers citing issues around the size of the talent pool available and a lack of qualifications.
“These new facilities will provide much-needed industry training in areas where significant industry investment is being made and where there’s a forecast shortage of skills to meet demand.
“The ECITB is delighted to be working with industry partners as part of the Net Zero Teesside cluster project, to grow the number of skilled engineers and craftspeople we need now and in the future.
“The new facilities will also support disadvantaged groups to find a route into sustainable employment within the engineering construction industry.”
Jason Faulkner, deputy CEO of the Education Training Collective, said: “The need for enhanced investment in Tees Valley is greater than ever due to significant infrastructure projects resulting in a growing skills demand.
“ECITB funding alongside significant matched funding will help facilitate a growth in skilled workers and support new entrants, both 16-18 and adults.
“The Tees Valley Skills Hub will be the conduit for training providers and industry to ensure skills needs are being met.
“The partnership with industry will ensure a greater number of individuals access training and are upskilled to meet the needs of the industrial cluster.”