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Chris Thompson is Chief Executive of the Express Group that provides engineering, design, product development and manufacturing services to the aerospace and defence, medical and scientific and oil and gas sectors. Chris has built a successful and profitable international group in the demanding manufacturing sector, attaining a group turnover of £35M, which has generated significant wealth for stakeholders and valuable exports for the North East region.

I am delighted to welcome you to the web pages of the North East Employer Coalition, which is led by a strategic board of employers of which I chair. The North East Employer Coalition (NEEC) comprises of employers and partners whose principal aim is to develop demand-led strategies that access real job opportunities for disadvantaged groups of unemployed people and those less able to work through reasons of health or disability.

The NEEC achieves this, at the strategic level, through influencing and working in partnership with agencies including Jobcentre Plus, the Learning and Skills Council, One North East and Government Office North East to develop a 'joined up' approach to the employment and skills issues that the Region faces.

At a 'community' level the NEEC engages with local employers, community groups, local authorities and Jobcentre Plus operational staff to address employment and skills issues, which impact upon the local community.

The NEEC Team                                                                                                                          

• Howard Forrest - Executive Director 
• Paul Cuskin - Strategic Director
• Egizia Crabbe -  Tees Valley Director
• Les Howard - Sector Development Manager
• Janis Jones - Sector Development Manager
• Jill Wheeler - Sector Development Manager

For more information on the NEEC Board and Team click here

Our Work in the North East Region - NEEC Brochure 2009

Economy in the North East

Over the last 25 years the North East region has reinvented itself moving away from its heritage of coal, shipbuilding & heavy engineering to create a vibrant mixed economy leading the way in such sectors as automotive and advanced manufacturing, chemicals, energy and digital media and animation.  Key support sectors include ports & logistics, contact centres, retail and construction.  In addition our magnificent rural areas (as well as our exciting cities) support a rapidly growing tourism industry.

Headlines about the North East include:

• 220 automotive companies employing around 26,000, including Nissan, Europe's most productive car manufacturing plant
• A healthcare economy worth £5bn, boasting a supply chain of 5,000 related organisations
• Teesport, the second largest shipping gateway in the UK
• Two-thirds of the UK's petrochemical industry
• 33% of the UK's pharmaceutical industry GDP is generated in the NE
• The contact centre sector employs 60,000 people including 12% of the population of Sunderland
• The highest number of digital media and animation start-ups outside London
• The energy sector employs over 8,000 people and is worth just under £1bn

But, all of that change has not been without its casualties, leaving the region with more than its fair share of disadvantaged individuals and communities. In excess of 250,000 individuals are inactive compared to the region's working age population of 1.6 million.

It is against this background that the Employer Coalition works across the region; operating at both a strategic & delivery level helping to shape the Employment & Skill System; by engaging employers to make that system work better for both individuals and business. The demand-led approach.

Over the last 10 years the region's employment rate has grown more rapidly than any other UK region, up from 66% to around 71%, equivalent to 80,000 more people in work. However, the North East still has the lowest rate other than London. There is much still to do to match the UK average rate of 75%. The current economic downturn will not make this task any easier. It is therefore even more important to continue the Coalition's demand-led and partnership approach to welfare to work activity.

Links 

NEEC Newsletter June 2010

Read our latest newsletter by clicking here.....

Passionate About Employment

Read the latest news stories to feature in the Passionate about Employment Campaign.......

NEEC is now part of Business and Enterprise North East

The North East Employer Coalition joins the fold of Business and Enterprise North East....read more..... 

NEEC achieves Workwise Standard

NEEC recieves recognition for its smarter working practices....read more.....