FEATURE
Aiming High
WORDS : JULIE BURNISTON PICS : CHRIS BOOTH
High Tide team - Back row : Kirsten Donkin ( trustee ), Mark Easby ( chairman ), Michael Shakesheff ( trustee ) Front Row : Owain Brennan ( programme co-ordinator ), Lauren Bywater ( general manager ).
The High Tide Foundation looks to the future with an exciting new digital vision
T he High Tide Foundation is an independent charity that connects classrooms with careers through the delivery of unique and meaningful work experience and industry-led career programmes for schools , colleges and young people in the Tees Valley .
The foundation , which is funded by corporate partners , donations from the business community on Teesside and via fundraising events , was formed eight years ago by PD Ports and Casper Shipping after a discussion about skill shortages and the hidden industry they were both in .
“ The initial idea was to get children out of the classroom and onto the River Tees , showing them the vast careers opportunities that exist in the industry surrounding the port ,” explained current chairman Mark Easby of Middlesbrough-based brand agency , Better .
“ The opportunities High Tide offers today are much more diverse and encompass maritime , logistics and manufacturing that you see around the Tees , as well as engineering , automotive and professional services , plus newly emerging boom industries such as creative and digital .”
42 | Tees Business