TEACHERS were given a first-hand insight into opportunities in the subsea engineering sector with a visit to a UK leading training facility.

Jake Tompkins, managing director of Modus Subsea, led the visit to the C-State Subsea Training and Education Centre for teachers from schools and sixth forms in Darlington.

Mr Tompkins' Darlington based firm established C-State in partnership with Darlington College last year to address a potential impending skills gap in subsea, which is also set to affect the wider engineering sector.

The centre, which includes a £4m ROV (remotely operated vehicle), was officially opened by HRH The Duke of York during his visit to see the work of Foundation for Jobs in March this year.

The teachers involved in the visit have responsibility for advising their students on careers and the event aimed to guide them on what advice to give, as well as facilitating discussion on what activities would best capture young people’s imaginations.

Mr Tompkins, whose firm uses underwater robots to carry out seabed and deep water work, outlined a range of potential occupations based both onshore and offshore ranging from mechanical engineers and geologists to maritime lawyers.

Despite the fact subsea is a rapid growth sector worth £9bn a year to the UK economy, with more than 50 firms in the North East alone employing 15,000 people and with annual revenues of £1.5bn, the sector still suffers a skills gap.

Speaking recently on the need to attract young people into the industry Mr Tompkins said: “There is a shortage of engineers and technically qualified people with subsea experience, and the perception of engineering, particularly to a number of school-age pupils, is that it is a dirty, grease and muck-type industry.

“But it is a specialist industry, very challenging and very rewarding with great opportunities in terms of career and global prospects of employment.”

Darlington is recognised as a fast growing UK centre for subsea engineering with firms including Modus, Deep Ocean, Reef and Tekmar now based in the town.

As a major part of the region’s economy engineering is a key area for Foundation for Jobs in its aim to match young people’s aspirations with the North-East employment market.

Many young people were not only unaware of which industries are set to create the most jobs in the North-East in the years to come but also had outdated perceptions of those industries and the varied range of.jobs and skills required.

Now a national award-winning project, Foundation for Jobs is a joint initiative to tackle youth unemployment involving The Northern Echo, Darlington Borough Council and the Darlington Partnership of private firms and public sector organisations, which has also enjoyed support from businesses and industrialists across the whole North-East region.

For further details contact owen.mcateer@darlington.gov.uk or go to www.foundationforjobs.co.uk