I was asked to give a perspective on the North East, in my capacity as Relationship Manager at the North East Chamber of Commerce. In this and future columns, I’ll talk briefly about the local business landscape, as we and our member businesses see it. I’ll also give you an update on our activity around the region, and how you can get involved. Firstly, for those of you who don’t know who we are, here is an insight into the organisation.
What is NECC?
For 200 years we have stood shoulder to shoulder alongside the titans of North East industry and the small game-changing innovators as champions of regional business.
Our aim is to make the North East a success. From removing barriers to growth to lobbying the Government, from helping firms sell overseas to training the future workforce, NECC is here to help, support and empower our members.
Our economic foundations may have been hewn from the coalface and forged in the shipyards, but we have evolved a truly diverse and robust business base and we at NECC work incredibly hard to deliver the best possible service to the vast array of businesses that make up our membership.
Two centuries ago, our founding fathers realised that as businesses we are stronger together – that has never changed. NECC provides a collective voice for regional business and history tells you that we get the job done.
200 years on, and things have evolved, today’s Chamber is a 4,000 business strong, non for profit, independent organisation. We have members from both traditional and modern industries, ranging from one man bands to household names with thousands of employees.
My Role
As a Relationship Manager, my role is to support and work with existing member businesses, to ensure we are delivering a fantastic service and meeting their specific needs. This covers a whole host of topics, from practical business issues on things like finding a premises or service to signposting towards grants and finance options. Whatever is in the interest of our members is in our interest too. As a member, you get access to 25 services and benefits, which can save time and money. But NECC is so much more than that, we recognise every business is different and can really benefit from hands on support and guidance from myself and 120 colleagues.
Current Developments
Our manifesto is our plan of action for business, we produce it annually based on what members express as the main concerns and priorities to help the North East. In the 2015 manifesto our five priorities are; to champion the North East, education and training to meet our future skills needs, business support that adds value and drives growth, to tackle the cost of doing business, and ensure world class connectivity and energy infrastructure. That might sound like a lot, but with the collective support of 4,000 members and hopefully many more, we can achieve great things.
We’ve taken proactive steps already to address these goals, and there are on-going opportunities for members to influence, and engage with us on these issues as we move forward. You can read our manifesto in full here.
As I am responsible for the Tees Valley, I thought I’d provide a brief update on local activity at our recent round area meetings.
Redcar
At our last meeting, members received a presentation on the new Foundation for Jobs project which will aim to ensure that all young people in the borough access appropriate opportunities in education, training and employment to enable them to fulfill their aspirations, exceed predicted outcomes and contribute positively to the local economy.
Middlesbrough
The Middlesbrough group met on the 8 September and the guest speaker was David Budd the newly elected Mayor of Middlesbrough. Discussion focused on the proposals for devolution and on the mayor’s plans for economic development and the town centre in Middlesbrough.
Stockton On Tees
Durham University, Queens Campus were hosts for the last meeting and keynote speakers. The presentation focused on the offer at the campus but also the campus’ international activity and the challenges of “town and gown” with new initiatives to bring undergraduate students closer to the town and local employers.
Hartlepool
At our last meeting members met for their summer reception on board HMS Trincomalee and received a presentation about the proposed new National Maritime Museum North and the plans for Hartlepool harbour and the Trincomalee as part of the museum.
Area meetings are open to all members, and give you a chance to network, contribute and input into our main focuses for that particular town. To find out the latest from your area in other parts of the North East Click Here.
If you’d like to talk about how NECC could support your business, then get in touch with me on tom.warnock@necc.co.uk and we look forward to hearing from you.