NORTH-EAST businesses with growth plans are being invited to an event at Nissan’s Sunderland plant to find out how to drive their ambitions forward and take advantage of improvements in the economy.

‘Putting Employers in the Driving Seat’ is being organised by Investors in People North of England and hosted by the Japanese car firm to support enterprise and business growth in the region.

The event on Tuesday May 20 will focus on opportunities for growth and the steps employers can take to create a greater number of better quality jobs. Key issues for employers in the current business environment and how organisations can develop their staff for success will come under the spotlight.

Steve Burrows, managing director at Investors in People North of England said: “Investing in your people is also an investment in the future of the regional economy and it’s important that employers recognise that their actions play a key role in the bigger picture.

“We are currently poised at the beginning of what could prove to be a major period of expansion as growth returns after the recession and our aim is to ensure that employers don’t miss out on ideas and opportunities that can make major differences to their businesses.”

Nissan, which is one of the North East’s largest private sector employers, supports more than 40,000 jobs in the UK.

Steve Pallas, training manager at Nissan said: “At Nissan we pride ourselves on being a learning organisation, developing and training our own people is a cornerstone of the company’s success. Investing in our employees has helped make Nissan’s Sunderland plant flexible, resilient and competitive.

“Having the Investors in People accreditation is important to Nissan because it provides us with independent confirmation that our staff development and training is having the right impact throughout the business.”

The event will give employers the chance to find out more about Nissan’s approach, how the company develops its people and what lessons they can learn from the car giant. There will also be an opportunity to visit SASMI, the Skills Academy for Sustainable Manufacturing and Innovation, based at the Nissan plant, which the company uses to drive its continuous improvement and world-class performance.

Delegates will discover how to drive their own business growth through interactive sessions, presentations and networking with other ambitious companies. Employers will also find out more about access to a funded growth programme to support leaders and managers to achieve their ambitions.

To find out more and book your place for the Putting Employers in the Driving Seat event, visit http://employersindrivingseat.eventbrite.com/. You can also follow the Twitter feed @IIPNorth or search on Twitter under #iipdrivingseat.