FEATURE
Inspiring - Mark Wells regularly volunteers in school visits to the port .
I feel it ’ s hugely important to support local students in getting into a STEM ( science , technology , engineering and maths ) career . It ’ s an exciting industry to be a part of , with all the different disciplines that make up the sector , from mechanical engineering to chemical engineering , there ’ s something for everyone .”
attitude to its colleagues .
“ You ’ re not just a number here , like you can sometimes be in other organisations . The company genuinely wants the best for you and strives to do its best for you .” Mark does a significant amount of work to support the business ’ education programmes with local schools and colleges .
The Education Training Collective ( Etc ), which includes Redcar and Cleveland College and NETA training group , has selected Mark to be one of its ambassadors , which allows him to speak to students first hand about his career and how he got into the industry .
Mark said : “ I feel it ’ s hugely important to support local students in getting into a STEM ( science , technology , engineering and maths ) career .
“ It ’ s an exciting industry to be a part of , with all the different disciplines that make up the sector , from mechanical engineering to chemical engineering , there ’ s something for everyone .
“ As a business , we feel we have a duty to inspire the next generation of people , and talking to students about the industry is one way I enjoy giving something back .
“ If you can give one person an insight into what the job looks like and spark their interest from there , it ’ s worth it .”
Not only does the business actively want to inspire the next generation , but it ’ s also focused on raising the aspirations of its own staff through the AV Dawson Leadership Academy .
Mark continued : “ The Leadership
Academy has been eye-opening for me . I have learned more about emotional intelligence and heard from external business leaders , learning more about what leadership practices they use within their teams .”
Completing a full circle move in the AV Dawson Leadership Academy , Mark has now become a mentor as part of the academy , having previously sat and participated in the training .
“ It ’ s been interesting going from being a learner in the Leadership Academy to becoming a mentor and putting into practice what I ’ ve learned from the course ,” he added .
“ The mentoring side will be hugely important to not only myself , but also to those I will be supporting .”
AV Dawson also encourages colleagues to undertake continuous professional development ( CPD ) courses to support them and their career progression .
“ Last year I completed a Masters Degree ( MBA ) at Teesside University and I ’ m hugely grateful to the business for supporting me in my studies and allowing me to take the time to complete the qualification ,” said Mark .
“ This year I ’ m due to complete my Level 7 Senior Management Course and chartership through the Chartered Management Institute ( CMI ).”
Mark has also been expanding his knowledge in other fields by completing a hydrogen training course to learn more about how it can be a potential alternative fuel source for equipment on site .
His role on the board of Redcar & Cleveland ’ s Clean Energy Employer ’ s Forum allows him to understand what is happening in the world of Net Zero and how other businesses within the region are adapting to the changes and sharing best practice .
Mark admits that becoming a carbonneutral business won ’ t be a ‘ quick fix ’, and added : “ It ’ s a challenging time for businesses of all sizes to implement greener technologies , which sometimes comes at a costly price .
“ For a port like us , it ’ s not something we can implement overnight , and many industries will find this more of a challenge than others .
“ We ’ ve invested heavily in green technology , from purchasing an electric harbour crane , to constructing a wasteto-energy plant for one of our tenants , to even more of the simpler things like investing in electric pressure washers and offering an electric salary sacrifice car scheme for colleagues .
“ I ’ d like to think we are a pretty forward-thinking business , and we ’ re constantly looking at ways we can improve and reduce our carbon emissions .
“ Technology is changing all the time and it ’ s both exciting and a challenge to keep up with it . The future ’ s bright , the future ’ s green .”
The voice of business in the Tees region | 43