Labour Market and Workforce Development

Stockton-on-Tees and the Tees Valley are well known for the quality of the workforce. The key qualities of the local people are their skills, hard work, adaptability and flexibility proved by the way that they have positively responded to the needs of modern industries such as electronics and call centres. The availability of such a workforce is the area's main strength and when coupled with competitive labour costs has been a key factor in many businesses decision to locate, expand and remain here.

Education & Training

There is a wide range of education and training facilities available to businesses in Stockton-on-Tees. Stockton Riverside College offers full and part-time courses in both traditional and vocational subjects and the Powertec project provides specialist services for businesses. The new College buildings on Teesdale opened in January 2003. Opposite the College's new site is the Queens Campus of the University of Durham, a £40 million multi-use development that first opened in 1992 and that is still being expanded. The most recent development being the £10 million Wolfson Research Institute which provides world class research in the field of environmental health. The campus focuses on vocationally relevant courses in areas such as environmental sciences, teacher training and biomedical sciences. The University of Teesside is also located in the Tees Valley and can offer businesses a number of dedicated services which can be accessed through it's Centre for Enterprise. Businesses can also source advice and support from the three other Universities in the North East region, namely Newcastle, Northumbria and Sunderland.

Outside of the main educational establishments there are a number of excellent training providers in the Tees Valley. Local businesses looking to provide training opportunities for their employees should contact either Business Link in the North East or the Learning & Skills Council for further advice and information.

Recruitment

Businesses needing assistance with the recruitment of new staff can contact the local office of Jobs Centre Plus on telephone (01642) 398800. Help is also available from the Stockton Jobslink service which provides help and support for residents of the Borough who are looking for employment or training opportunities and links their skills to current vacancies. Jobslink can be contacted on telephone (01642) 608316.