Press Story

The North East’s reputation as a ‘low skilled’ region is becoming a thing of the past, according to a new report.

Analysis from IPPR North shows qualification levels for young people compare well with the rest of England and rates of apprenticeship qualification are the highest in the UK.

It notes that the North East is well-placed to benefit from new initiatives in vocational training.

Rates of skills gaps are similar to those for the UK, but are concentrated in some of the areas where jobs growth is forecast, such as professional roles, customer service, and complex analytical skills.

The report suggests that councils in the North East and Tees Valley work with bosses to see what skills training is needed to meet future demands in growing sectors.

IT, construction and services are identified as private-sector growth areas where the current training system does not meet expected future demand.

Meanwhile, North East universities are excelling at training graduates in key sectors for the North East – such as maritime, electronic, chemical, process and energy engineering, the report adds.

Graduate retention rates are high in the North East, behind only London and the North West, due to the North East’s strengths in key areas and quality-of-life offer.

The report also finds that in the North East:

There are good employment opportunities, and rates of pay, for technical staff in science, engineering and technology.
The region’s post-compulsory education sectors perform well in attracting students from elsewhere, retaining graduates in the region, and providing programmes in areas which support the North East’s industrial strengths.
Despite a lower proportion of graduates across its adult population, the North East has the highest proportion of people with an apprenticeship qualification and or a vocational qualification at Level 4 or 5, suggesting that new forms of employment-related training are particularly important for North East residents.

Anna Round, report author and senior North East researcher at IPPR North, said:

“The idea that the North East remains an area of low skills and low qualifications is outdated. Especially among young people and city dwellers, qualifications compare well with other parts of England and there’s clearly enthusiasm for vocational opportunities in particular.

“But some skills shortages persist and could damage the North East’s ability to attract investment and jobs. So we need much better information about the skills that businesses need now and will need in the future. Skills bodies, combined authorities and business need to work together on this.

“We also need a training system that helps everyone progress in work – from engineers starting out to senior engineers looking to become chief executives. That means developing more opportunities for business collaboration in training initiatives, building on the good practice already in place.

“This would be good for employers, good for employees and good for growth.”

ends

Contact:

Ash Singleton, a.singleton@ippr.org, 0161 457 0536

Notes to editors:

The report will be available live from 00.01 Friday here: http://www.ippr.org/publications/tipping-the-balance-maximising-the-north-east-as-a-skills-hub

This is the second in a series of three reports ‘Rewiring the North East’, which challenge common assumptions about the region’s economy and highlight ways in which it can play a critical ‘hub’ role in relation to wider northern and national prosperity.