Aycliffe Today Business Aycliffe Today Business Issue 35 | Page 9

The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 9
/NEWS
BUSINESS BRIEFS
TEKMAR FLOATS FOR £65M
Tekmar has become the latest North East
firm to float after joining the AIM market.
The Newton Aycliffe firm, which
manufactures protection system for
subsea cables and umbilicals, announced
its intention to float in June.
Pictured (left to right): Jake Pearson
from Baltic Training, Jeff Thompson from
Virtual College, Joanna Wake from RAW
Digital Training, Rob Canavan from QA
Apprenticeships, Danielle Barnes from
DurhamWorks, Jayne Parsley Walsh from
Media Works and Neil Guy from Tombola.
B
Aycliffe firms benefit from
successful Digital Careers Fair
usinesses looking to recruit young
people in digital and IT, including two
from Newton Aycliffe, have benefited
from a successful careers fair held in Durham
city.
Aycliffe-based Baltic Training and Virtual
College were among the exhibitors at the
event held in the Rivergreen Centre at Aykley
Heads in Durham.
Tech firm RAW Digital Training teamed
up with DurhamWorks, a County Durham
Youth Employment Initiative funded by the
European Social Fund, to host the fair.
Almost 200 young people got to find out
more information about digital and IT career
opportunities from around 20 exhibitors
during the four-hour event, which also
included a series of presentations from
experienced professionals in the digital
sector.
At least 100 jobs were available from the
companies in attendance which included
Sunderland-based Tombola and Durham-
based Atom Bank, as well as Media Works,
QA Apprenticeships, Sunderland and
Teesside universities and Aycliffe firms Baltic
Training and Virtual College, among others.
Neil Guy, head of international operations
at Tombola, which is expanding with a new
HQ in Sunderland, said: “Businesses are
screaming out for IT and digital staff.
“We’re now looking to recruit degree
apprentices, taking young people from school
and college and hopefully keep them for 10
years or more, because of the skills shortage.
“It’s such a big growth area with lots of
opportunities, so events like this are really
valuable. It has given us an opportunity to get
in front of young people who are interested
in a career in IT.”
Joanna Wake, managing director of the
event organisers RAW Digital, said: “We’ve
brought together businesses looking to
recruit people in IT, and young people looking
for a career in that sector, so it’s been a
fantastic event which everyone involved has
benefited from.
“We’ve seen an energy and buzz from the
providers but, more importantly, we’ll see
young people ending up with the type of jobs
they’ve been looking for but maybe couldn’t
find, which will ultimately give us all a buzz.”
Joint-organisers DurhamWorks, a
partnership project led by Durham County
Council and part funded by the European
Social Fund and Youth Employment Initiative,
has now supported more than 4,000 people
betwe en the ages of 16 to 24 to become
‘work ready’.
The programme works with a range of
partners to help unemployed young people
develop their existing skills, identify new
ones and help them into a range of training,
job and education opportunities.
razorblue plans expansion as sales up 31%
N
orth East business IT solutions provider
razorblue is planning further expansion
at its Teesside office after seeing a
31% hike in revenue.
With offices in Catterick, Wynyard,
Leeds and London, the firm specialises in
managed IT and security services, super-fast
connectivity, cloud and hosting and business
software solutions for businesses across
a broad range of industries, working with
major retailers, manufacturers, professional
services businesses and hotels.
The firm, which has a number of clients
on Aycliffe Business Park, including the
Xcel Centre, is now planning to expand
its Wynyard operation to accommodate
continued growth.
Tekmar Group’s first stock
announcement said that on admission
the company will have a market
capitalisation of approximately £65m,
following a successful total fundraise of
approximately £61.8m (before expenses).
HUSQVARNA’S £3,964 AIR
AMBULANCE BOOST
Husqvarna has flown the extra mile for
its chosen charity, The Great North Air
Ambulance Service, after presenting the
charity with a cheque for £3,964.42, the
total value of the group’s support.
Since the beginning of the year,
Husqvarna and its staff have dedicated
their time to help raise much needed
funds for the charity.
CRAFTERS INVEST IN GROWTH
Crafter’s Companion has appointed a
new head of retail after experiencing a
12% increase in UK sales.
Helen Hollings joins the multi-million-
pound business from Joules clothing
and will be responsible for introducing
commercial retail practices plus improved
workshop programmes across Crafter’s
Companion’s current retail estate.
EBAC’S LATEST SHIRT DEAL
Ebac has become the new shirt sponsor
for Darlington Football Club.
The company, which has supported
grass-roots sport for decades, has
agreed a two-season sponsorship, with
an option for a third season.
It has also helped to fund a prestigious
pre-season friendly against Jong PSV, the
reserve team for Dutch champions PSV
Eindhoven, at their training ground De
Herdgang on the outskirts of Eindhoven.
Ebac has also agreed to renew its shirt
sponsorship deal with Northern League
side Newton Aycliffe for the 2018-19
season.
razorblue directors
Jonathan Anderson,
Dan Kitchen and
Mark Wilkinson have
overseen another strong
year, with sales up 31%.
razorblue was launched in 2006 by
managing director Dan Kitchen and has since
transformed and grown at around 30% year-
on-year, as well as an uplift in staff of over
100% since 2015.
AYCLIFFE TODAY BUSINESS
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