SKILLS shortages are a major concern for the North-East’s engineering and manufacturers, a conference heard.

Employers from across the region attended South West Durham Training’s (SWDT) Manufacturing in the North-East conference at Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.

The event heard from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), The Bank of England and Business Durham.

James Ramsbotham, chief executive of the North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) was another speaker.

The event, hosted at the engineering apprentice training charity’s headquarters, comes as Foundation for Jobs works with young people, often still at school, to inspire them to consider careers in those industries and business sectors which are vital to the North-East economy but are facing impending skills gaps.

About 8,500 skilled workers are due to retire from engineering and manufacturing roles in the region by 2016.

Andrew Hebden, Bank of England deputy agent in the North-East, said: “We continue to see evidence of growth in the UK economy, and the North-East certainly reflects that.

"There is no doubt the manufacturing and engineering sector is a central part of that growth story.

“The majority of our contacts in those sectors have been upbeat for some time and remain positive about the outlook.

"That’s not to say things are easy and many firms tell us recruiting people with the right technical skills can be a challenge.

"Many of them are turning to apprentices to fill this skills gap and the growth in apprenticeships has been a defining feature of the recovery in employment across the country, which has to be a positive thing for the future of the economy.”

Sue Houston, business relationship manager for BIS, said: “We have recognised that engineering is an area where we have some particular skills shortage.”

James Ramsbotham added engineering offered exciting opportunities for young people in the region and action was needed to ensure they were inspired to consider careers in the sector.

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.

It has worked with more than 2,500 school pupils many of whom were not aware of which industries are set to create the most jobs in the North-East in the years to come or they had outdated perceptions of those industries, seeing careers in engineering as dirty or grubby.

Foundation for Jobs runs events aimed at changing this perception such as the annual Low Carbon Engineering event, which involves scores of pupils in practical tasks and is supported by SWDT.

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