![\"katmex\"](\"https:\/\/emn.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/katmex-growing-talent.png\")
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The Tees Valley is a region built on a foundation of industry. Today, it employs approximately 25,000 people in the manufacturing sector, according to ONS, accounting for 9.3% of total employment. That\u2019s significantly higher than the national average of 7.5%, highlighting just how central this sector is to the area\u2019s identity and economy.<\/p>\n
With that in mind, we have a responsibility, as well as an opportunity, to contribute to shaping its future. Over the Easter holidays, we welcomed seven local students into Katmex to gain practical, hands-on experience in a real manufacturing environment. These young people, a mix of school leavers and college students, reached out to us after we attended apprenticeship-focused open evenings at Hartlepool and Middlesbrough Colleges during National Apprenticeship Week.<\/p>\n
Each of them was given the chance to explore a specific area of interest, from CNC machining and maintenance to welding and production engineering. Some chose to focus on one role, while others rotated between departments to get a broader feel for what a future career in the industry might look like. Importantly, this wasn\u2019t a week of standing around and just observing, it was about getting involved and understanding the work up close, giving them a true taste of what a career at Katmex entails. The feedback was unanimously positive. Every individual got stuck in, asked questions, and left with a better idea of where their interests and strengths might take them. For us, that kind of engagement is exactly what programmes like this are about.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no getting away from the fact that our industry is facing some serious challenges. With 36% of vacancies considered difficult to fill due to skills shortages, and Deloitte reporting that over a quarter of manufacturers expect to lose 10% of their workforce to retirement in the next five years, we\u2019re witnessing a growing gap that threatens recruitment and long-term growth across the sector. We don\u2019t believe in sitting back and waiting for things to get worse. We believe in action. If the skilled workers we need aren\u2019t out there yet, then we have to help create them. That means opening our doors, sharing our knowledge, and listening to the next generation.<\/p>\n
And when we say listen, we mean it. Throughout the programme, we took the time to understand what today\u2019s students think about careers in manufacturing, what attracts them, what puts them off, and where the industry might need to adapt. Flexibility came up more than once. There\u2019s a clear message here: if we want to remain competitive and relevant, the industry has to evolve to meet the expectations of tomorrow\u2019s workforce.<\/p>\n
We are committed to this programme not just being a one-off. It\u2019s part of a bigger commitment to growing our own talent and helping safeguard the future of manufacturing in Teesside. It\u2019s about giving young people a reason to stay, to build careers here, and to be proud of what they help make.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Tees Valley is a region built on a foundation of industry. Today, it employs approximately 25,000 people in the manufacturing sector, according to ONS, accounting for 9.3% of total […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":9027,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-member-news"],"yoast_head":"\n