NEWS
Taylor Dockerty from Aycliffe is one of the 1,600 apprentices currently taking part in the Amazon Apprenticeship programme .
COMMENT
AMAZON APPRENTICE
Newtonian Taylor helps global firm reach apprenticeship milestone
An apprentice from Newton Aycliffe has helped Amazon celebrate the 10th anniversary of its apprenticeship programme and is sharing his story in the hope of inspiring people in Darlington to follow in his footsteps .
Taylor Dockerty from Aycliffe is one of the 1,600 apprentices currently taking part in the Amazon Apprenticeship programme . 5,000 apprenticeships have been offered in the UK in the last 10 years .
Taylor works at the Amazon fulfilment centre in Darlington as an IT support technician and is studying an ICT AWS support technician degree through the Amazon Apprenticeship programme .
After venturing down different career paths in finance and completing a university degree in English Literature , Taylor found his way to IT through a long-time interest in the industry .
He had just received a qualification in web development when he came across the apprenticeship opportunity at Amazon and was urged by his partner to apply .
Taylor said : “ At Amazon , there are limitless opportunities for growth and development , and you are surrounded by a team of people who are invested in helping you along the way .
“ If you are keen to keep learning and challenging yourself , then definitely get involved in this apprenticeship programme .”
When the Amazon apprenticeship programme launched in 2013 , it had one scheme – engineering – and only six apprentices .
This year , Amazon has offered hundreds of full-time apprenticeship roles across the UK starting at entry-level and including around 250 degree-level apprenticeships in over 30 different schemes , ranging from engineering to broadcast production , warehouse team leaders to buying and merchandising .
WORK BEGINS ON £ 61M EXPANSION OF NETPARK
Work is underway on the £ 61m expansion of one of the UK ’ s premier science parks following the appointment of a contractor .
Led by Durham County Council , the development of phase three of The North East Technology Park ( NETPark ) at Sedgefield has begun , after Kier was chosen to deliver the project .
The county council is funding the expansion of the park with support from the North East Local Enterprise Partnership ( North East LEP ).
Phase three has the potential to create 1,250 skilled jobs and to be worth £ 625m to the local economy over the next ten years .
Plans are also in place for a fourth phase of NETPark with potentially more to follow , with additional land designated for development that would take the number of jobs at the site to between 3,000 and 4,000 .
The new phase of what is the region ’ s premier science park will include up to
Work on the £ 61m expansion of NETPark in Sedgefield gets under way .
232,000 square feet of new laboratory , office and production space , and will cover an initial seven hectares of land , rising to 16 hectares .
It will also provide facilities for both existing tenants to expand and to enable future inward investment .
As well as the potential 1,250 new direct jobs , the expansion stands to provide an additional 2,200 in the supply chain .
A NEW ERA
We ’ ve seen a lot of changes in recent months for Aycliffe Business Park Community and we ’ re excited to bring you a series of positive developments over the next few weeks and months .
Three of our long-serving board members – Sarah Slaven , Rachel Townsend-Green and Martin Walker – have all stepped down this summer .
It ’ s fair to say Sarah , Rachel and Martin served ABPC with dedication and commitment , and we ’ re grateful for their valuable time and input over the last 10 years .
I ’ m delighted to say we have two new members who will be as equally valuable to ABPC as we move forward with new ideas and a fresh momentum .
Ian Proctor and Sarah Monk joined us in the summer and are already making their mark .
We ’ ll bring you more details about their appointments and the projects they ’ ll be working on in due course .
We also have a big announcement to make very soon which we ’ re very excited about and I ’ m sure will prove to be a popular venture for all tenants on the business park .
Our last news and networking event of the year is being held at The Work Place on the morning of Friday , November 24 ( 8-10am ).
We ’ ll have the usual bacon and sausage sarnies on offer and plenty of tea and coffee – and , of course , there ’ ll be ample time for you to catch up with friends , meet your neighbours and make new contacts .
Go to the events section at aycliffebusinesspark . co . uk for details and to register .
You can also keep an eye out for news on the Aycliffe Business Park social media channels and , of course , subscribe to our newsletters for updates so you don ’ t miss out .
Email hello @ aycliffebusinesspark . co . uk and we ’ ll add you to our distribution list !
We look forward to seeing you at our future events . Kerina Clark Chair , Aycliffe Business Park Community
The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 11