There’s a boom amid all of the gloom

Jul 23 2008 by Martyn Pellew for The Journal

BUSINESSES across the country will no doubt be feeling the pinch in the current economic climate.

The knock on effect of soaring fuel costs, a decline in consumer spending and rising interest rates has created a mood of despondency across most of the UK.

By way of contrast in the North East, we are experiencing a boom amid all the gloom, with numerous regeneration schemes in progress, new projects under development and an air of confidence among the people who live and work here.

One area in particular which is flourishing is the training and skills sector.

On a recent visit to the North East, Secretary of State for Skills, John Denham, told the region’s businesses that the UK needs to develop its relationships with training providers to develop better skills systems and was very positive about the North East’s efforts to lead the way.

At the Chamber of Commerce’s Skills Pledge Roadshow in June, Mr Denham said the pledge was an encouraging symbol of employer commitment to raising the standard of training among employees.

This positive outlook could have been no better represented than at the recent CoLaS Awards held at The Sage in Gateshead. On June 20 over 1,200 people from the region’s businesses attended the CoLaS awards, which have fast become one of the most successful and prestigious awards ceremonies in the North East region.

These awards recognise the great commitment and investment that our region’s businesses are prepared to make in developing the skills of our people.

But it isn’t just the investment which the businesses are making which is important we should take our hats off to the excellent way in which the people of the North East embrace these opportunities and contribute to the region’s future prosperity.

What we need to do now is retain this enthusiasm and build upon it to ensure our people are equipped with the right skills to deliver on the region’s longer term good.

Martyn Pellew is NECC Tees Valley committee chairman and development director for PD Ports