Maritime skills take centre stage in Parliament
There are some conversations that feel like a milestone.
Hearing Teesside’s maritime skills challenge discussed in Parliament was one of them.
During a recent Parliamentary debate, Luke Myer MP highlighted both the strength of our region’s maritime industry and the opportunity that exists to connect more local people with the careers it creates.
He spoke about something we’ve been hearing consistently from employers across the Tees Valley.
Businesses are growing. Investment is coming into the region. Career opportunities are increasing. Yet too many young people still don’t know what those opportunities are, how to access them or which qualifications can help them get there.
It’s a challenge that affects employers just as much as it affects young people.
Without a strong pipeline of local talent, businesses struggle to recruit the skilled workforce they need. At the same time, young people can miss out on rewarding careers in an industry that is quite literally on their doorstep.
In response, Keir Mather MP, Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation, recognised the importance of the issue and committed to working with Tees Valley Combined Authority to better promote maritime skills and opportunities across the region.
That commitment matters.
It demonstrates recognition at a national level that maritime is not only vital to the Tees Valley, but to the UK’s economy as a whole. More importantly, it opens the door to closer collaboration between Government, industry and education to strengthen the pathways into the sector.
For Tees Maritime, this wasn’t the start of the conversation.
Over the past eighteen months we’ve worked closely with employers, colleges, universities, schools, training providers and young people to better understand the barriers that exist and, more importantly, what can be done to overcome them.
That work has included developing new education programmes, creating opportunities for employers and students to work together, supporting careers activity across the region and ensuring the experiences of both industry and young people help shape future thinking.
Seeing these issues raised in Parliament reinforces the importance of that work.
Real change doesn’t happen because of a single debate, but conversations like this help create the momentum needed to turn regional priorities into national ones.
We’d like to thank Luke Myer MP for continuing to champion both the maritime sector and the Tees Valley, and for ensuring this important issue was given the attention it deserves.
If you haven’t yet seen the exchange, you can watch the full clip below.