NEWS
This is the place - The Wilton Centre ’ s recent £ 2m investment is proving attractive to new occupiers .
MAGNETIC ATTRACTION
How Wilton Centre is generating unprecedented interest
The Wilton Centre is having a magnetic effect on companies , according to its accommodation manager Claire Morton .
They are being attracted by a combination of its location , bordering Teesside Freeport , and the centre ’ s enhanced facilities , which in 2021 saw an investment of £ 2m by its new owner , We are Pioneer Group ( WAPG ).
In the past 12 months alone , around 30,000 sq ft of new office and laboratory space has been leased .
There are new occupiers , such as GE Energy , Petrofac and NKT , but existing occupiers are also committing to new longterm agreements and either refurbishing and expanding their premises or moving to new workspaces .
Claire , who has been in the role for five years , says she is seeing an unprecedented level of interest in accommodation at the Wilton Centre . “ It ’ s been the equivalent of filling a multi-storey city centre office block from scratch ,” she says with understandable pride .
“ We ’ re in the ideal location to accommodate the management and office staff needed to run the new industries which are springing up all around us . We are also in the unique position of having laboratories available for their scientists to research , test and innovate .”
Recruitment company NRL , which specialises in engineering and construction roles , makes no secret of why it decided to open a new office at the Wilton Centre .
“ Our Sunderland office was dealing with more and more work opportunities in the Tees Valley , so it was really important for
Latest recruits - Allan Stevenson and Emma Lowden of recruitment firm NRL , which has taken new workspace at the Wilton Centre .
us to invest in the area - and the Wilton Centre is undoubtedly the place to be ,” says Emma Lowden , branch manager of NRL Sunderland office , who will also oversee the Teesside operation .
Also important for NRL is its determination to provide a lasting solution to the area ’ s skills shortage , a challenge that has been highlighted by politicians and business leaders .
In the short term , Emma and her colleague Allan Stevenson – who will run the day-to-day operation at the Wilton Centre – will encourage the people who left Teesside when work dried up to return .
They will urge employers to consider candidates who have transferrable skills but might just need some training to adapt to a new way of working , but they ’ ll be looking further ahead too .
“ We tie into local universities and it ’ s fascinating that only 10 per cent of engineering cohorts are female ,” reflects Emma . “ But a lot of the engineering companies have targets of 50 per cent , so it ’ s about engaging with these women ahead of them picking their A-levels , because by the time they come to choose their degrees , it ’ s too late .”
Meanwhile , Allan will be working with High Tide , a Tees Valley-based charitable foundation dedicated to helping young people prepare for work and raise their career aspirations . He is keen to coach teenagers in CV-writing and interviews .
A well-established occupier of the Wilton Centre , Koch Technology Solutions ( KTS ), has also decided that its long-term business ambitions can be achieved from its existing base , where it employs more than 50 staff .
The company has just moved to new offices – which mirror the look created during the centre ’ s refurbishment – and signed a 10-year lease .
“ I believe that the surroundings you operate in have a significant impact on how you think and how you work ,” says KTS business president Adam Sackett .
“ There ’ s a reason companies such as Google design their offices in a certain way . Previously , our office wasn ’ t set up to drive modern working and collaboration . We wanted to create a professional , collaborative environment that would enable our people to work effectively and set the tone for our business .
“ The Wilton Centre has helped us create an office space that ’ s amongst the best we ’ ve seen and they ’ ve been a pleasure to work with .”
80 | Tees Business