The Northern Echo's Level Up campaign is now in its second year of campaigning for more jobs and investment across the North East.

Next week we are holding one of our live discussions about a subject at the heart of the region's growth - Jobs, Skills and Education - and there are still just a few seats left for you to join the conversation and ask questions of a panel of decision-makers helping to plan the future of our region.

On Thursday March 30 we are at believe housing in Seaham. Seats for this latest event are obviously limited and are already being snapped up by our Level Up partners, but we always want a strong cross-section of businesses at our event, so we hope to see you there.

After a chance to network and chat over coffee, the first part of our event will be looking at one of the biggest regeneration projects in the UK - the remarkable reinvention of Sunderland into a digital superpower. For an exclusive Level Up insight into how the strategy was conceived and rolled out, we will talk to Patrick Melia, Chief Executive of Sunderland City Council.

Then join Level Up partners, bp, believe housing, Cummins, Durham County Council, North East England Chamber of Commerce, Tees Valley Combined Authority, Womble Bond Dickinson and Teesside Freeport, to take a deep dive into jobs, skills and education and the vital role they play in the North East.

We want to highlight the opportunities that are available now and help young people take the steps to their perfect skills pipeline.

Then another exclusive chance to network and talk about what you have heard while enjoying lunch in the stunning believe housing headquarters .