The skills shortage is enough to inspire a regional campaign

WITH the North-East economy thriving and business confidence at an all-time high, on the face of it, the outlook for the region has never looked better.

However, sustaining and building on that success could be made more difficult by an impending skills shortage, which threatens to hit North-East businesses hard.

Statistics reveal that, while the Regional Economic Strategy (RES) predicts the creation of more than 70,000 jobs in the North-East by 2010, only 40 per cent of young people believe they will get the job they want, with even fewer believing there are attractive opportunities on offer.

That worrying trend was further underlined by the RES, which said: "The relatively low aspirations of children and young people could inhibit the region's success in the future."

Aspire - a culture change campaign launched by the North-East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) and the regional branch of the Confederation of British Industry, has been set up to find solutions.

The campaign, which is three years into a five-year initiative, aims to persuade every employer in the region to invest in young people by 2010 and show young people they have a reason to stay and work in the North-East by highlighting the opportunities.

As part of its quest for change, the organisation has undergone an overhaul at the top, with Mary Coyle joining as chief executive, a move hailed as a reinvigoration of Aspire, and which has seen the campaign move from what Mary refers to as the groundwork of phase one into the more pro-active phase two.

She said: "What I call phase one, was really about raising awareness of the campaign and getting the message out to young people.

"Now, I want to move that on. Phase two will be about getting employers engaged with the campaign, making them aware of the impending skills shortage, encouraging them to help the transition from school to the workplace.

"We have this new focus and that is going to be what we are really pushing to achieve.

"Above all, what we don't want is for these young people to leave the North-East, and for them to get the jobs that are available here, elsewhere. And we need employers to really get on board and help us get that message out."

Mary's call to arms is one that hundreds of companies and small businesses across the region have already answered.

With backing from the NECC and the CBI, Aspire is not short of high-level support.

Aspire chairwoman Maggie Pavlou, who is also NECC president and one of the campaign's most fervent backers, and has hailed Mary's leadership as revitalising the project.

She said: "Aspire has a powerful role to play in raising awareness of the opportunities available to young people and to show North-East firms there is plenty of talent out there.

"I am not fond of being a figurehead in any initiative that does not have teeth, but Aspire is a brilliant campaign, and Mary has made a huge difference."

However, despite such public high-profile backing, Mary believes that does not guarantee action from the region's business sector, and businesses should not think others will play a role on their behalf.

She said: "A common perception among employers is that taking on a young person at 16 is too much hard work in terms of training them and teaching them all the skills they will need.

"It is so much easier to bring someone in when they are 24 and they are already fully-trained.

"But that is the exact way that these young people will be lost from the region.

"We want employers to take responsibility and see the future of the region could really be down to them."

The region's impending skills shortage will soon affect every sector of industry, and is a problem that will worsen unless action is taken now. Mary is only too aware of this.

She says: "There is a lot of talk around the subject, and there is a lot of negativity there. It is going to be a very real problem for a lot of businesses, and the concern is starting already. We need to get people to understand not only what that situation will mean for them but, more importantly, what they can do about it now.

"It is something that every employer should and can play a part in and do something about. It's about saying to employers, 'take action now'," says Mary.

While big businesses in the region may be able to offer a broader range of opportunities to young people, Mary says every employer, no matter how the size, can play a part in the Aspire campaign.

"This campaign is about persuading people they can make a difference. Someone working for a three-person business might think, 'How can we do anything about this?'

"But while they may not have the time or resources to dedicate to a young person that a bigger company may have, could they spare one morning a week, could they agree to that young person coming in for half an hour? Could they say a few words at a school assembly? That is a level of commitment that every business could give."

Despite the efforts of Aspire during the past three years, and the plans for success over the next two, Mary believes the real success in encouraging employers to get involved in the campaign lies primarily with one party - the employers.

"It is a fact that employers who have already played a part will be the ones to encourage others to do the same. It is very important for those sorts of companies to tell their stories.

"We would like to have a situation where other companies hear their stories and think, 'We could do something like that - that's a really good idea'.

"Telling positive stories and sharing good experiences of young people is probably the most encouraging, motivating way of getting employers on board.

"We are only the beginning, and it is only a five-year campaign.

"The focus, particularly now we are moving into phase two, is very much on employers. And it is them who can help ensure the future success of this region, and carry the Aspire message forward."

And while the task of taking on and training young people may not be an easy one, Mary is keen to ensure the lasting legacy of Aspire is that employers look to the region's emerging talent as a first port of call.

"There are no easy answers to the questions we are raising, but there rarely are.

"There are some hugely talented young people in this region, people who aren't getting the opportunities, even though they could be offered to them.

"Every employer needs to step forward and do something."

Mary to lead the search for skills

MARY COYLE took up the position of chief executive of Aspire in January.

She had been regional director of Common Purpose, an international leadership organisation that runs programmes for leaders of all ages, sectors and backgrounds, since 1996.

She first came to the North-East in 1974, having trained and worked as a teacher in her native Northern Ireland.

After three years teaching children with learning disabilities in a school in Jarrow, South Tyneside, she was appointed recreation officer for Newcastle City Council from 1977 to 1980.

For the next 16 years, she worked for Nacro, an independent voluntary organisation working to prevent crime.

She developed and managed activities for young people.

Ms Coyle is a member of a number of voluntary sector boards, is a deputy lieutenant for Tyne and Wear and is a lay member of Court at Newcastle University.

Engine maker seizes the chance to help aspiring pupils

Engine maker Cummins has struck up a partnership with GCSE students at Freebrough Specialist Engineering College, Brotton, in east Cleveland, through Aspire.

Through the scheme, university undergraduates work at the firm's Darlington factory with students who are predicted to get a C or D grade in their exams, with the goal of ensuring they achieve a C or higher.

At present, 22 Freebrough students are attending sessions at the factory, spending an hour every other week with their mentor.

Jacqui Hampton, business development and partnership manager at the college, said: "I think one of the reasons why this scheme has worked so well is because the placement students aren't too much older than our students, which means they can relate to the mentors in a better way than they could with some of their teachers.

"They look up to their mentors as successful young people and can also see that there are excellent job and business opportunities for them right here in the North-East."

The scheme is in its first year, but Cummins and the college are keen to extend it.

Construction firm involved in building the future

Construction company Esh Group offers the Fit For Employment programme, a three-stage, three-week project for year ten and 11 students.

At present, 120 students, selected by schools in five deprived areas around the firm's base in Bowburn, Durham, attend the group's base for an overview of the "world of work" and opportunities in the construction industry.

Uniquely, the scheme can lead to apprenticeships in permanent roles for students who successfully complete the programme.

Aspire said the scheme's success is reflected in the performance from participating students - the schools involved have reported an average ten per cent increase in GCSE expectations - with five grade A to C passes, a 58 per cent improvement on attainment level from key stage three, and an 87 per cent increase in attendance.

Toyin Adefioye, Esh's human resources manager, said: "In such a multi-faceted business, we need to make sure that we have a constant 'feed' of young people coming through, and these schemes are a way to play our part in making young people aware of the employment prospects open to them within the North-East."