Skills for Growth

Skills for Growth is a FREE resource for Tees Valley SMEs, offering impartial advice to help you access training and support to upskill your current workforce and turn your business plans into reality.

It is here to help you fill any skills gaps within your team – now, or in the future – to boost productivity, and improve your competitive position. Find out if you could access funded support from an expert skills development officer…

How does Skills for Growth work?

The Skills for Growth Programme acts as a streamlined gateway to help Tees Valley SMEs access the skills training and support available locally.

Our team of experienced skills development officers will help you:

1. Explore and understand what direction you want to take your business in.
2. Complete a comprehensive analysis to identify skills gaps within your business – now or in the future – and understand your training needs.
3. Develop a bespoke skills development plan which highlights a range of training support options from local training providers. 

As a joint initiative with Teesside University, the Skills for Growth Programme will also take a proactive research approach to help shape and inform future training and development provision for SME’s across Tees Valley.

Why is training so important for your business? 

• You will build confident teams who are proactive and willing to go the extra mile.
• Your employees will be more knowledgeable, resilient and solution-focused.
• Investing in your team can reduce absenteeism and employee turnover
• It sets you up for success! 

Who can access the support?

The Skills for Growth Programme free to access if you are:

• An SME employer with fewer than 250 employees and an annual turnover below €50m (approximately £38m), or a balance sheet below €43m (approximately £33m).
• Based in the Tees Valley (Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees)

Employers across a wide range of sectors are encouraged to get in touch for support, including:

• Advanced Manufacturing
• Chemical and Process
• Logistics
• Life Sciences
• Digital
• Energy and Renewables
• Business and Professional Services
• Health and Social Care
• Culture and Leisure
• Construction

Register for Skills for Growth today

Take advantage of this FREE advice and support if you are an SME employer based in the Tees Valley.

If you would like to receive further information please complete the form and data and marketing consent sections below to join our database. 

Marketing and Processing Consent

Why are we collecting this information?

You have given Tees Valley Business your contact details (name, address, email address, telephone number and business information) because you are interested in hearing about the Skills for Growth programme. Tees Valley Business will use your contact details to keep in touch about these opportunities.  We will not be using your personal data for any other marketing purposes or to send you general information about Tees Valley Business, Tees Valley Combined Authority or the Tees Valley Mayor.

How we will use your Data?

We will check the data you entered appears accurate and we will then contact you with relevant information about opportunities through the Skills for Growth Programme.  We may pass your contact details and preferences to the wider partners that make up the Skills for Growth Programme.  This information will only be shared for the purpose of letting you know about opportunities or in providing training and/or skills support through the Skills for Growth programme. The partners are:

• The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/about/personal-information-charterhttps://www.gov.uk/help/privacy-notice
• Teesside University https://www.tees.ac.uk/sections/about/public_information/copyright.cfm?display=privacy

These partners have the systems in place to properly protect the data we send them. You can find their individual privacy policies at the links given above. But all data shared as a result of your registration will only be processed as set out in this notice.

How long will we keep your personal data?

We will keep the database for up to 12 months, at which time we may contact you to confirm whether or not you want us to continue to hold your contact details and send you information about future jobs.  This is set out in our Data Retention Policy.

How can I be removed from this database?

You can ask us to stop contacting you about the Skills for Growth Programme or to ask us to delete your contact details from our database at any time. Simply email us at teesvalleybusiness@teesvalley-ca.gov.uk and we will delete your data within one week.

We also include an unsubscribe link at the bottom of our e-marketing emails – you can use that link to opt out of receiving further email marketing about the Skills for Growth programme

Where can I find Further Information?

Tees Valley Business takes data protection very seriously. Further information about how we collect, hold and delete data and information about your data rights and how to make a complaint can be found in our privacy notice at: https://www.teesvalleybusiness.com/privacy-policy/

Equality & Diversity Resources

We’ve rounded up some useful resources to help you find information on promoting equal opportunities and embedding inclusion and diversity within your team.

Click here to download.

Sustainability Resources

Here are some useful resources to help you find information on how you can create a more sustainable workplace and embed corporate responsibility within your team.

Click here to download.

Cyber Security Resources

Here are some useful resources to help you find information on data protection and cyber security.

Click here to view.

About the funding

The Tees Valley Collaborative Skills Development Partnership (Skills for Growth) is a joint initiative with Teesside University, and is part-funded by the European Social Fund’ as part of the 2014-2020 European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme in England.