EDUCATION
Aligned – Dr Noel Dennis has designed the Atomix School of Business and Society’ s programme around the specific needs of Tees Valley and regional employers.
The Tees Valley is in middle of a decade of significant change.
A new school for the next generation of Tees Valley leaders
Freeport status, large-scale investment in clean energy, the continued growth of the digital and advanced manufacturing sectors and a sustained focus on regional devolution have created real momentum.
For the businesses driving that momentum, the pressure on leadership has never been greater.
That pressure has translated into a rising demand for high-quality leadership development across the region. Employers are looking for accessible, practical training that meets the needs of their people at every level, from emerging supervisors and middle managers through to executive teams.
Atomix Educational Trust has built the capacity to meet that demand head on through Atomix School of Business and Society.
Based in the Tees Valley, the school offers CMI-accredited leadership and executive development designed for the people leading organisations here.
It draws on the trust’ s deep roots in the region, its relationships with employers, and a long track record of preparing young people for work and further study.
The school extends that same philosophy to leaders at every stage, from those stepping into their first management role through to those shaping strategy at board level.
The offer has been built around a simple observation. Modern leadership is not what it was ten years ago. Leaders are dealing with AI and rapid technological growth, more complex workforce expectations, tighter financial pressures and a growing responsibility to the communities in which they operate.
Generic, off-the-shelf training does not meet that reality. The school’ s programmes are bespoke, built in partnership with each client, and shaped around the real challenges leaders face, rather than a fixed curriculum.
That bespoke approach runs through every programme. Whether the focus is on first-line supervision, middle management, strategic leadership, operational performance, cultural change, coaching capability or board-level development, content is developed with the organisation and its leaders before delivery begins.
Learning is practical, applied to real decisions in real time, and supported by CMI accreditation where appropriate, so participants gain internationally recognised qualifications alongside the development itself.
They also create clear progression routes, both into more senior leadership roles and, for those who want to take their study further, into degree-level and postgraduate programmes with regional university partners.
The name has been chosen carefully. Atomix School of Business and Society reflects a belief that leadership in this region is about more than commercial performance.
Tees Valley businesses are deeply connected to the communities they sit within. Many of the most successful local leaders talk about social value, fair work, responsible growth and regional pride as often as they talk about margin and market share.
The school is designed for that kind of leader at every level. Its programmes treat social and commercial outcomes
More information is available at leadership. atomix. ac. uk.
as connected rather than competing, and challenge participants to think carefully about the wider impact of their decisions.
Leadership of the school sits with Dr Noel Dennis, director of community and partnerships at Atomix Educational Trust.
Noel brings a long career in business education, leadership development and regional economic partnership, and has designed the school’ s faculty and programme around the specific needs of Tees Valley and regional employers.
For organisations already working with the trust, the school opens a new route into development for their people, from junior managers through to the executive team.
For organisations new to Atomix, it offers a credible, locally based starting point for leadership development that sits alongside and feeds into the region’ s wider higher education offer.
Early conversations have focused on succession, first-time management, middle leadership, board effectiveness and the cultural challenges that come with rapid growth.
Over the coming months the school will publish its full programme calendar, announce launch cohorts and open applications for its bespoke leadership pathways.
Businesses interested in discussing a tailored programme, sponsoring places for their team or partnering on content can register their interest now.
The voice of business in the Tees region | 107