LEADING engineering firms from across the North-East came together to offer young people an insight into careers in the industry.

The event at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College (QE) in Darlington was organised following the launch earlier this year of its Future Engineers programme.

The initiative will see it work in partnership with employers to provide its students with experience, practical skills and insight into the wide range of careers within engineering.

As well as QE students interested pupils from Darlington’s secondary schools were also invited to attend to meet representatives of firms and organisations including Modus, MTE (Mechtool), Amec, the Engineering Development Trust, Henry Williams, Glaxosmithkline, Johnson Matthey, South West Durham Training, Ottobock, Technip, STEMnet and the universities of Newcastle, Northumbria and Teesside.

Liz Bryan, QE’s higher education and employment applications co-ordinator, said the college was keen to raise awareness of the wide variety of work local engineering firms carry out, as well as highlighting the excellent prospects of working globally as an engineer.

She said: "It is to enable the students to make those valuable links with local employers, universities and training organisations, as well as giving them a broad overview of the different routes into engineering and the varied job opportunities."

The students participating in Future Engineers will benefit from a range of opportunities including work experience, visits to organisations, links with university engineering departments, mentoring and e- mentoring.

The firms and organisations supporting the initiative will work together to give students a range of experiences so that they understand the educational routes into engineering careers as well as preparing them for future university or job applications.

It comes as the engineering sector, a major employer in the North-East, is facing skills gaps with an aging workforce and not enough young people coming forward to fill those gaps.

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

A number of the firms involved in the project, as well as the QE, are already partners in the Foundation for Jobs project, a key part of which involves encouraging young people to look at opportunities in sectors such as engineering, which are set to be major creators of jobs in the North-East going forward.

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 organizations, which has also enjoyed support from businesses and industrialists across the whole North-East region.