Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has today revealed that a new academy will be established to help give local people the best skills possible to take advantage of the new jobs and opportunities that are being created for local workers at the Teesworks site.

When established, the Teesworks Skills Academy will link investors, employment hubs, skills providers, jobseekers and apprentices to create a world-class workforce for the future, equipped with the skills businesses at the site will need to grow and succeed.

Teesworks is now looking for a delivery partner to set up the hub, help develop a skills plan to coordinate training and recruitment across the region and work with organisations to match employers with potential employees for the site.

The skills academy forms a major part of Mayor Houchen’s plan for jobs at Teesworks, formerly known as the South Tees Development Corporation site, the UK’s largest industrial zone which aims to create thousands of high-quality local jobs for local people, centred around advanced manufacturing, innovation and clean growth.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “We are creating a huge number of jobs on the Teesworks site, and it’s critical that we ensure local workers have the skills needed to take advantage of these opportunities. That’s why I’m delighted to announce the creation of the Teesworks skills academy. The new academy help train people so they have the skills needed for the jobs coming to the site, meaning more money in their pockets for them and their families.

“We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to deliver a site of national importance that will grow our economy by millions of pounds a year and employ thousands of people. Work has already begun to create construction jobs and get spades in the ground to redevelop our site for global investors and there are many more contracts yet to be announced.

“Now, we need to start looking to the future. There is no point in securing this investment and creating these jobs if people in Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool don’t have the skills to access them. So we’re looking for an organisation to work with us, investors and training bodies to help people secure these jobs for generations to come.

“This is a truly exciting, unique opportunity to shape our region’s workforce and improve people’s lives.”

Earlier this summer, Mayor Houchen set out his year-long plan for the Teesworks site. Over the next 12 months, 19 separate demolitions will take place and 18 individual contracts will go out for tender, creating 390 jobs, 39 of which will be for apprentices.

In total, 775 jobs will be created through these investments, which will total £393 million.

For more information and to apply for the opportunity, click here.