2nd April 2026, by Tony Lloyd
Teesside continues to experience an industrial renaissance, with major developments such as Net Zero Teesside signalling a new era of opportunity for the region. This growth also represents a significant chance for the next generation to gain skills for life, with a strong pipeline of projects that will require highly trained craft professionals.
Local education providers are stepping up to meet this demand, ensuring young people have access to the training and qualifications our industry needs. As part of this, our Regional Industrial Relations Manager, Tony Lloyd, and the ECITB Regional Manager for North, Mark Rae, visited Hartlepool College for Further Education to strengthen relationships between our organisations and learn more about the facilities, programmes, and standards delivered by the College.
Tony explains: “Today, I had the pleasure of visiting Hartlepool College with Mark Rae to tour their fabrication facilities delivering welding, pipefitting and NDT and meet the students currently undertaking their training.
The facilities are genuinely impressive and a real asset for the North East. I would strongly encourage ECIA member companies to take the time to visit, see the workshops first-hand and meet the talented learners preparing to enter our industry.”
What stood out most to Tony was the tutors’ passion and depth of knowledge. Their commitment to delivering training aligned with industry standards and responsive to the evolving needs of the Engineering Construction sector is both reassuring and inspiring.
If any ECIA member companies would like to arrange a visit to the College, this can be coordinated through me, Mark Rae, or Helen Gott.
