It was pleasing to hear the Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds tell the inaugural North East Growth Summit, held in Sunderland earlier this month, that universities make a ’brilliant contribution’ to the region.
We’re determined to do more still, and have recently formed Universities for North East England, with counterparts at Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland and Teesside, in order to strengthen our collective efforts to drive economic growth, and make higher education accessible to students from the region, regardless of their background.
Workplace training
At Durham, we’re already working more closely than ever with local schools and colleges to expand education opportunities and make a positive difference to people’s lives.We have begun welcoming students on T-level placements, for example, and some of the first cohort have since joined our staff as apprentices.
This is one indicator of the new education and career pathways being developed through the Durham Learning Alliance, a partnership between ourselves and four County Durham further education colleges.
A renewable energy future
This month also saw us formalise our partnership with ORE Catapult, an organisation that is supporting the region’s ambitions to grow the renewable energy sector.We’ve worked with ORE Catapult for more than a decade, and following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, we’ll be working even more closely together - collaborating in areas such as research and innovation, skills development, and business engagement.
We look forward to the partnership unlocking further exciting research projects and helping train the next generation of world-leading renewable energy experts right here in County Durham.
Read more about how we’re driving economic growth and contributing to the social vibrancy of North East England
The Palatine Centre
Durham University
Stockton Road
Durham
DH1 3LE