Tech and green jobs in spotlight as Port of Tyne hosts Maritime Innovation Week

SCIENTISTS, industrialists, and academics gathered in South Shields to paint a rosy picture of job opportunities if the region continues to establish itself as an innovation hub for business.

The Port of Tyne hosted the final day of Maritime Innovation Week after the first two days of the annual event, which were spent at the BT Tower in London, talking to a national and international audience.

The aim was to focus attention on the potential and promise of the North East as a region ripe for investment in fields such as sustainability, innovation, artificial intelligence and automated systems.

Among the global brands representing the region were Hitachi and Nissan – both companies at the forefront of the green transition.

Other speakers on the day included Tom Nightingale of Equinor, which operates the giant Dogger Bank wind farm from the Port of Tyne, who talked about working with the local supply chain and creating specialist green jobs onshore and offshore.

He also explained how the company is developing its ecosystem for sustainable innovation in the North East.

Chris Jennings of MADE North East talked about learning and skills strategy and the importance of training young people in the North East and offering them clearer pathways into the skilled jobs of the future.

Paul Butler, CEO of the North East Automotive Alliance, gave a talk on the exciting possibilities that lie in automated systems, while British Telecom laid out the possibilities for the future if the 5G network the Port of Tyne is currently benefiting from were rolled out across the region.

Elaine Scott, of Space North East England, appeared via video link from Germany where she was attending an international conference, to explain the infinite potential of working in space and how it was becoming less and less expensive to be involved in over time.

Phil Birchenall of Diagonal Thinking and Fasih UlHaq, a business analyst, explained the potential for improving business creativity and productivity that artificial intelligence now offers.

Other speakers included Dr Eleni Bougioukou of Newcastle University, Kirsty Babister, senior director of procurement and supply Chain at Hitachi Rail and Tony Quinn, director of technology development at Blyth-based Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult.

Dr Bougioukou talked about green shipping corridors and how the Port of Tyne and North East generally is at the forefront of work to decarbonise shipping and create new ways of working for a cleaner future.

Tony Quinn led a discussion on the best ways to accelerate clean growth.

Dr Jo North, Innovation Ecosystem Director at the Port Of Tyne, who helped lead and co-ordinate the event, said: “It was an exhilarating few days because there’s so much going on in terms of innovation and so many opportunities to excite and inspire people.

“Everyone attending had the opportunity to witness engaging panels, action-focused round tables, and inspiring keynotes from industry leaders and some great networking.

“This is the third year of Maritime Innovation Week and it has been a big success in terms of bringing together all these different strands of expertise so that people see the potential of the North East.

“There are going to be so many job opportunities in the future for the people of South Tyneside and the wider North East – good, skilled, well-paid jobs – and getting the next generation ready to seize those opportunities is going to be key.”
Summing up the key themes of Maritime Innovation Week this year, Dr North said they were:

• Future skills development – equipping the North East with the future skills needed to thrive in a rapidly changing environment.
• Community engagement – strengthening ties and making a lasting impact within our North East communities.
• Local supply chain development – building opportunity and resilience through collaboration within the local North East ecosystem.
• Regional value proposition – innovating the North East’s compelling value proposition for inward investment and growth, aiming to create greener, better generational jobs and more inclusive, equitable opportunities for all.
• North East leaders and managers – making sure they are part of making our region future-ready.

She added: “I think people can really see the future coming into view in terms of how sustainability, innovation, the green transition can all come together to create a bright future for the North East as a region and an economy and the jobs and prosperity that can stem from that.

“It’s also so important that events like these receive support and backing and I’d like to thank BT, Hitachi Europe, Frazer-Nash, Connected Places Catapult, OREC, Nissan and the Department for Transport and our other partners for providing it.”