The grant supports SME’s who create Apprenticeships in sectors facing high demand and growth from employers as identified in the Tees Valley Strategic Economic Plan.

The Priority Sectors being supported by the Grant are:

• Advanced Manufacturing
• Logistics
• Digital and Creative
• Construction
• Culture and Leisure
• Process, Chemical and Energy
• Health & Biologics
• Business and Professional Services
• Health Care
• Education

What Funding is Available?

One grant (per age group) is available to SME’s identified by Tees Valley Combined Authority as being in one of the above Priority Sectors.

• Apprentices aged 16 – 18 – a grant of £3,000 is available
• Apprentices aged 19+ - a grant of £2,000 is available.

For SMEs not identified as being in one of the Priority Sectors, there is a grant of £500 available for apprentices aged 19+.

For more information and guidance on how to apply, please click here.

Alternatively, contact the Business Engagement Team on:

T: +44 (0) 1642 444366
E: business@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk

Our award winning service provides hands on support, advice and guidance on recruitment and training. We work in partnership to deliver bespoke recruitment and workforce development to local businesses.

We have established a number of hubs across the borough to help local residents access employment opportunities and businesses or new investors to the area secure the right skills for their needs.  Our hubs deliver a free of charge service to employers looking to recruit.  This includes:

• facilities for recruitment events, job fairs, interviews
• publicising job opportunities
• an extensive CV database of highly skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled individuals
• CV sifting, shortlisting and selection process
•  upskilling residents to meet employers skill needs
• Site Safety Passports, CSCS Cards and other accredited registration for local residents where appropriate

For further information contact our Routes to Employment Team on:

T: +44 (0) 1642 459035

E: routestoemployment@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk

The borough is well served by educational establishments across the Tees Valley which it lies within.  There are 5 further education colleges specialising in engineering and construction, aerospace engineering, advanced manufacturing, logistics, oil and gas and the digital and creative sectors.

Cleveland College of Art & Design - https://northernart.ac.uk/

Hartlepool College of Further Education - https://www.hartlepoolfe.ac.uk/

Middlesbrough College - https://www.mbro.ac.uk/

Redcar & Cleveland College - https://www.cleveland.ac.uk/

Stockton Riverside College - https://www.stockton.ac.uk/

The borough also houses a specialist training college, the Technical Training Group which offers a range of accredited courses in Engineering, Process, Health & Safety, Management and NVQ Diploma's.  Further information available at: https://tte.co.uk/

The Tees Valley is home to two universities of national and international recognition, Teesside University and Durham University’s Queen Campus.  Teesside University, which recently invested £250m into its facilities and was shortlisted for the Global Teaching Excellence Awards (GTEA), offers a wide portfolio with specialisms in technology, science and engineering alongside design, creativity and digital.   Durham’s University’s Queens Campus offers specialist education in medicine and finance.

Teesside University - https://www.tees.ac.uk/

Durham University - https://www.dur.ac.uk/

There is also good access from Redcar and Cleveland to the following North East universities:

Leeds University  - https://www.leeds.ac.uk/

Newcastle University - https://www.ncl.ac.uk/

York University - https://www.york.ac.uk/

Working collaboratively with key organisations, cultural practitioners and networks across the region since the summer of 2022, Clore Leadership has developed a new strand of programming that responds to leadership and workforce development needs in the Tees Valley cultural sector. We will be supporting progression routes for arts and cultural leaders in each of the five local authorities, strengthening peer networks, driving cross-sector collaboration, diversifying the workforce and supporting cultural venues and freelancers.

The programme has two strands – connecting and learning. Through opportunities to connect and learn we will create space to explore what leadership means; and to develop some of the essential leadership skills we all need in our toolkits.

For information on their programmes and to apply, please visit their webpage here.

Start Smart

What is covered?

The 4 day course is perfectly designed for those setting up their first business or are in the early stages of trading. It allows you time to consider each key aspect of your business and make necessary decisions. For many it will be their first time running a business so there will be some brand new topics to learn and consider.

Key information

Course Length: 4 Days

Qualification: SFEDI Level 3 Award in Innovation, Growth and Development

Funding Requirements: Teesside Resident. 24 years old or over. Plus ONE of the following; earn less than £33,210 per year OR not have a full level 3 qualification or above.

For more information and to book your place, please visit here.

Immediate Impact of Digital Bootcamp

What is Covered?

Social Media

• Reviewing your social media presence
• Explore new ways of using social media
• Build a social media content plan
• Content Strategy
• Analysing your competition

Network and Content Plans

• Networking and raising your profile
• Analytical tools
• Understanding and developing your LinkedIn account
• Creating effective content for Facebook
• Improve your results through Instagram
• Understand how to utilise TikTok for your business
• Optimising your Google Business Profile and how to collect reviews
• Look at your video content Strategy
• Walkaway with a content plan for your business

Key Information

Course Length: 8 Weeks (one in-person and one online session a week with self-study)

Qualification:  Mapped to a level 3 Diploma

Cost:  Fully funded for eligible residents

Funding Requirements: York/North Yorkshire or Tees Valley business

For more information and to book your place, please visit here.

Business 360

What is Covered?

Longer term contracts and business proposals

• The processes used with authorities issuing tender opportunities
• Tender readiness checks and actions needed to become tender ready
• Negotiating and working with potential partners for tenders
• Service level agreements

Organisational goals

• How career and personal goals impact your work role and professional development
• Organisation visions and missions
• Identifying gaps in current knowledge and skills

Sales and the customer journey

• The 5 stages of the sales cycle
• The value wedge & sales technique
• The cycle of communication

Managing change

• Why business change is important
• Change management processes
• Internal and external factors that cause business change

Key Information

Course Length: 4 Sessions

Qualification:  SFEDI Level 3 Award in Innovation, Growth and Development

Cost:  Fully funded for eligible residents

Funding Requirements: Teesside Resident. 24 years old and over.

For more information and to book your place, please visit here

Management Matters

What is Covered?

Responsibilities as a manger

• How to prioritise tasks
• Clarifying your responsibilities
• Monitoring progress and quality of work

Effective communication with your team

• Creating a vision of your areas responsibility
• Applying different communication methods for different people
• Applying different leadership styles to different people and situations.

Handling and avoiding conflict

• Identifying potential causes of conflict
• Managing causes of conflict
• How to deal with poor performance

Importance of feedback & evaluation

• How to empower people
• How to celebrate achievement
• How to provide advice to your team

Managing and Planning self-development

• Developing a self-development plan
• Creating development activities
• Monitoring the quality of your own work

Key Information

Course Length: Total of 5 days

Qualification:  iCQ Level 3 certificate in Principles of Management

Cost:  Fully funded for eligible residents

Funding Requirements: Teesside Resident. 24 years old and over. Plus ONE of the following; earn less than £33,210 per year OR not have a full level 3 qualification or above.

For more information and to book your place, please visit here.

Supporting People

What is Covered?

Developing counselling skills

• Differences between coaching, mentoring and counselling
• Established a helping relationship
• Strategies for problem solving and decision making

Theoretical approaches to counselling

• Humanistic theory
• Cognitive behaviour theory
• Psychodynamic theory
• Integrative model

Working ethically with counselling skills

• Ethical frameworks
• Counsellor competencies
• Personal moral qualities

Counselling skills and diversity and personal development

• Understanding discrimination
• Power differences and perception of power
• Anti-discriminatory practice
• How counselling skills influence personal development
• Importance of continued self-developing

Key Information

Course Length: Total of 10 days over 3 months

Qualification:  NCFE Level 3 Diploma in Counselling Skills

Cost:  Fully funded for eligible residents

Funding Requirements: Teesside Resident. 24 years old and over. Plus ONE of the following; earn less than £33,210 per year OR not have a full level 3 qualification or above. 

For more information and to book your place, please visit here.