Durham news
Royal role – Learning Curve Group CEO Brenda McLeish has been appointed deputy lieutenant of County Durham .
SPACE GROUP TAKES OFF
ROYAL APPOINTMENT
Training boss appointed deputy lieutenant
The boss of a national training firm based in County Durham has been appointed deputy lieutenant of County Durham for her dedication and contribution to education and skills in the region .
As CEO of Learning Curve Group based in Spennymoor , Brenda McLeish OBE heads a firm which creates opportunities for more than 200,000 individuals a year to advance their skills and build a career .
Brenda was awarded an OBE in the Queen ’ s New Year ’ s Honours list for her contribution to education and she has now been recognised further with her appointment of deputy lieutenant .
Deputy lieutenants are nominated by a lord lieutenant , to assist with any duties as may be required – they receive their commission of appointment via the appropriate government minister by command of the Queen .
“ I am honoured to be appointed as deputy lieutenant of County Durham by Lord lieutenant Sue Snowdon ,” said Brenda .
Durham County Council is recruiting apprentices across a wide range of occupations from entry to degree level , offering people the chance to earn as they learn .
The scheme is the authority ’ s largest apprenticeship recruitment campaign to date .
Roles being recruited include adult care , gardener , bricklayer , catering , refuse and recycling , leisure , joinery , HR , ICT , financial management and customer services .
“ I am incredibly passionate about raising aspirations for our region and people who live here .
“ Throughout my career I have been dedicated to transforming lives through learning by promoting opportunities for all to build a career through our high-quality training programmes .
“ Charity and community work is also deeply rooted in our values . We take training to those in the community who may be in difficult or vulnerable situations and have raised over £ 75,000 through our LCG Charity Foundation to support charities in County Durham .
“ I am looking forward to working closely with the other Deputy Lieutenants to ensure we continue our work to make education accessible to all in our region .”
Brenda joined LCG in 2008 when the business had 40 employees and a turnover of £ 1m .
She has helped drive significant growth in the business and LCG now employs over 800 staff across the country .
Council to recruit 100 new apprentices
The North East Space Leadership Group has been newly formed to shape the vision , mission and strategy for the growing space sector in the region .
Made up of a diverse range of stakeholders , the group will support the development of the space cluster in the North-East with a focus on nurturing business growth and employment opportunities .
Business Durham will act as the secretary of the group , and it will be chaired by John Bone , the COO of RHEA Group , who ’ s currently the chair of the North East Satellite Applications Centre of Excellence .
Council and university partnership going from strength to strength
Two of County Durham ’ s most influential institutions have committed to strengthening their already successful partnership , by making their joint working agreement even more ambitious for the county ’ s economy and communities .
Durham County Council and Durham University have been working together for the good of the county for decades , and first signed a Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU ) in 2017 .
Now the council and university have refreshed and strengthened the MoU , to reflect current opportunities and facilitate the county ’ s economic recovery following the coronavirus pandemic .
The council ’ s chief executive John Hewitt – signing the MoU with the university ’ s vice-chancellor Karen O ’ Brien – said : “ We greatly value our close working relationship with Durham University and are really pleased to be showing our commitment to that continuing by re-signing the Memorandum of Understanding for a further three years .”
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