Serving the Teesside Business Community | 7
/NEWS
An artist’s impression of how the new
Middlesbrough train station might look.
BUSINESS BITES
TRAINING CASH
£45m approved for major station
transformation projects
P
rojects to dramatically overhaul two of
the region’s biggest stations have been
granted a £45m investment by the
Tees Valley mayor and Combined Authority
cabinet.
A total of £25m, from the devolved
£75.5m Transforming Cities Fund, has been
earmarked to transform Darlington station,
creating new train platforms for an improved
local and national service and futureproofing
the gateway for HS2 services.
Once complete, the upgraded station
will unlock capacity across the area leading
to faster, more frequent and better quality
services in the Tees Valley.
It will also allow for better freight
connections from Teesport, and prepare the
station for high-speed services and Northern
Powerhouse Rail.
An extra £20m has also been approved
from the same fund for the redevelopment of
Middlesbrough railway station.
This will see additional platform capacity
created to accommodate existing services
and increased future services, including
those to London. The scheme will also make
a number of upgrades to the station itself.
The project is being carried out by the
Combined Authority and Middlesbrough
Council in conjunction with the Department
for Transport, Transport for the North and
Network Rail.
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen said:
“Our £75.5m transport fund has only been
devolved to the Tees Valley because we have
a directly-elected mayor.
“Using this pot of money, I’m delighted
we’re able to commit £45m of this for
Middlesbrough and Darlington rail stations.
“We have put together a fully worked-up
business and design case for Darlington, but
this £25m will kick-start the work that will
make travel regionally and nationally better
than ever.
“The £20m for Middlesbrough would
fully fund the scheme, making sure we can
take advantage of new services to London,
unlocking access to the capital for even more
people in our area.
“This investment will also allow for the
doubling of services to Whitby – from four
to eight per day – and the new Northern
Connect express service into Newcastle
starting next year.”
Middlesbrough mayor and combined
authority cabinet member Dave Budd added:
“The significant role that Middlesbrough
station plays for commuters and visitors is
fundamental to our growing economy.
“This investment will not only benefit
the people of Middlesbrough but also the
wider Tees Valley population, enhancing
connectivity between our towns and
villages and creating better accessibility
to employment opportunities as well as
commuting.
“I am pleased that the combined
authority has agreed to fund our plan
which is an important part of the
continuing transformation of the centre of
Middlesbrough.”
Trainer ‘highly commended’ at the
National Apprenticeship Awards
W
hen it comes to singing the virtues
of apprenticeships there’s few can
do it better than Dave Thompson.
The Normanby dad – now a strategic
business development co-ordinator at
Stockton’s NETA Training – has been cheering
apprentices for some 40 years and now
he has been recognised at the National
Apprenticeship Awards grand final in London.
Picking up a highly commended award in
the national Apprenticeship Champion of the
Year category, Dave was pipped at the post
for the national title.
The prestigious final took place at Old
Billingsgate in London and was co-hosted by
architect and presenter George Clarke.
The National
Apprenticeship
Awards
showcase the
diverse range
of sectors
engaged with
apprenticeships
while also
celebrating
apprentices,
employers and
individuals who go above and beyond to
champion apprenticeships across England.
In its 15th year, the event is hosted by the
National Apprenticeship Service.
Powers to directly control post-19
education in the Tees Valley have now
been devolved from central Government
to the region.
The Tees Valley Combined Authority
(Adult Education Functions) Order 2018,
the statutory instrument that transfers
control of the adult education budget,
has come into force after being approved
by Parliament and signed by Education
Secretary Damian Hinds MP.
From August 1 next year, the mayor and
combined authority will be responsible for
an indicative annual £30.5m budget for the
2019-20 academic year.
APPRENTICESHIP BOOST
The company behind the £3.2bn polyhalite
project at Whitby and Teesside, Sirius
Minerals, has announced the launch of its
programme to create 50 new engineering
apprenticeships, providing skilled and
long-term opportunities for young people
across the local area.
Sirius is now welcoming applications to
select the first ten to start in September
2019.
STRATOBOOSTER
A business founded by two Teesside
University aerospace engineering students
which plans to launch the first civilian
space mission in the UK has won a major
start-up competition.
StratoBooster was named as having
the ‘Highest Growth Potential’ as well
as being named as ‘Ones to Watch’ in
the 2018 If We Can You Can (IWCYC)
challenge.
RECORD CHARITY BALL
A record attendance of more than 570
– including dozens of local businesses –
helped the region’s biggest annual charity
dinner raise a record-breaking £78,000 for
some of Teesside’s most disadvantaged
families.
Held in the Grand Marquee at Wynyard
Hall, Teesside Philanthropic Foundation’s
Charity Ball featured a dinner, live band,
dancing, auction and raffle.
Supported by several local businesses,
Tees firm Wilton Engineering
manufactured 21 340-tonne steel
structures known as transition pieces
for offshore wind turbines at Orsted’s
Hornsea One offshore project.
#TalkingUpTeesside