Skills for Growth
Helping address local skills gaps and grow Tees Valley businesses
The Skills for Growth Programme can help you identify your business’s skills gaps and access the employee training needed to grow your business.
Skills for Growth is a free resource for Tees Valley SME’s, offering impartial advice to help you access training and support to upskill your current workforce and turn your business plans into reality.
It is here to help you fill any skills gaps within your team – now, or in the future – to boost productivity, and improve your competitive position.
You could access funded support from an expert Skills Development Officer to help pin-point your business’s skills needs, navigate your options, and access further training, or support needed to grow. From work experience and work placements, to traineeships, apprenticeships and graduate placements, there are a host of opportunities available across Tees Valley to develop your team.
How will the support work?
The Skills for Growth Programme acts as a streamlined gateway to help Tees Valley SMEs access the skills training and support available locally.
Our team of experienced Skills Development Officers will help you:
- Explore and understand what direction you want to take your business in.
- Complete a comprehensive analysis to identify skills gaps within your business – now or in the future – and understand your training needs.
- Develop a bespoke skills development plan which highlights a range of training support options from local training providers.
As a joint initiative with Teesside University, the Skills for Growth Programme will also take a proactive research approach to help shape and inform future training and development provision for SME’s across Tees Valley.
Who is the support for?
The Skills for Growth Programme is open to applications from SMEs (a small or medium-sized enterprise with fewer than 250 employees) based in the Tees Valley (Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees).
The support is free to access and applications are encouraged from employers across a wide range of sectors, including:
- Health and Social Care
- Logistics
- Construction
- Culture and Leisure
- Business and Professional Services
- Health and Biologics
- Chemical and Process
- Life Sciences
- Digital and creative
- Energy and Renewables
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Education
About the Funding
The Tees Valley Collaborative Skills Development Partnership (Skills for Growth) is a joint initiative with Teesside University, and is part-funded by the European Social Fund* as part of the 2014-2020 European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme in England.
Register now
Register now if you are:
- An SME employer with fewer than 250 employees and an annual turnover below €50m (approximately £38m), or a balance sheet below €43m (approximately £33m).
- Based in the Tees Valley (Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees)
* European Social Fund
The project is receiving up to £1,868,162 of funding from the ESF as part of the 2014-2020 European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme in England. The Department for Work and Pensions is the Managing Authority for the England ESF programme. Established by the European Union, the ESF helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support skills development, employment and job creation, social inclusion and local community regenerations.
