Driven by industry needs, the North East Automotive Alliance (NEAA), will this year commence a series of themed masterclasses aimed at educating, informing and sharing best practice amongst its members, SMEs and the wider supply chain.
The first masterclass will kick off tomorrow, when NEAA will deliver an Energy Reduction Masterclass, in partnership with global leading tier 1 supplier, ElringKlinger.
The ISO 50001 Energy Reduction Masterclass will share knowledge applicable to any size organisation who is interested in establishing an energy reduction programme. The masterclass will focus on ElringKlinger’s approach to ISO: 50001 accreditation and the benefits that have been seen as a result.
In March, the NEAA will go on to deliver a Funding Masterclass that will offer a step-by-step guide to applying for funding and bid writing. Covering the whole funding process from the various funding streams and how to spot funding calls, to completing the forms and providing technical input, through to finding partners and investors; the masterclass is aimed at companies wanting to maximise funding opportunities but don’t know how or where to start.
Other planned Masterclasses include an Automation Masterclass in partnership with The Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA) in April, a Workplace Substance & Alcohol Misuse Masterclass in partnership with Hall & Angus and a Packaging Masterclass focusing on ‘The true cost of your packaging’ in partnership with Macfarlane Packaging, both taking place in May. Other subject areas that will feature later in the year are Safety, Trade & Investment, Internal Communication and Technology.
Paul Butler, CEO of the NEAA commented: “There is now a level of horizontal collaboration that simply did not exist before the formation of the NEAA. Many companies have seen significant benefit from the sharing of best practice under our Business Competitiveness activity.
“This series of masterclass workshops are the next phase in this knowledge transfer activity and I’m sure those companies attending will see real benefit.”
NEAA’s masterclasses are open to members and SMEs who are part of the ERDF funded ACE SME Programme, and in some instances these will be opened up to non-member companies looking for more support.
Launched in March 2015 the NEAA was set up to support the sustainable economic growth and competitiveness of the North East automotive sector. Today the industry-led cluster boasts over 200 cluster participants and has successfully created a number of thematic working groups where local automotive industrialists collaborate on issues that have an impact on their sector including Business Competitiveness, Skills, Innovation & Technology and Trade & Investment.