nzt-early-careers-event-119-27_08_2025

NZT Power and NEP Back Training for 175 Local Students to Power Teesside’s Clean Energy Future

  • Three flagship training schemes launched to prepare young people for careers in the region’s rapidly growing clean energy sector.
  • £1 million+ investment by NZT Power and NEP, with strong support from local colleges and delivery contractors.
  • Extensive community skills outreach delivered by project partners, including 100 hours of educational engagement with more than 1,000 local students.

TEESSIDE, UK – One hundred and seventy-five young people across Teesside are set to begin local college courses designed to launch their careers in the clean energy sector, supported by three skills schemes from the Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP) and Net Zero Teesside Power (NZT Power).

Delivered in partnership with local educational institutions, the Tees Valley Combined Authority, and construction partners, the programmes aim to close the skills gap in the region’s fast-growing low-carbon industries through targeted training and sustained outreach.

NZT Power and NEP Operational Scholarship Programme

Five local students will undertake a Process Industry Manufacturing Technician Apprenticeship in partnership with Cogent Skills, a specialist in science and technology training. All have completed a two-year foundation course at Redcar & Cleveland College and will now progress through a multi-year programme with Middlesbrough College Group, combining classroom learning and practical experience before moving into operational roles.

Balfour Beatty – NZT Power & NEP Power Project Apprentice Scheme

29 apprentices and two graduates have been chosen by Balfour Beatty to start specialist college courses in civil works, pipefitting and mechanical, construction, and marketing communications. All are from the five boroughs of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Darlington, Hartlepool, and Redcar & Cleveland. The apprentices were welcomed to Teesworks Skills Academy and the project’s construction site for an introductory day on 27 August. The programme included a site overview, insights into the construction process, and the chance to meet their future colleagues at Balfour Beatty.

At peak construction, Balfour Beatty will employ around 1,500 people, with at least five per cent of the workforce made up of ‘earn and learn’ roles.

The Tees Valley Net Zero Industry Scholarship

Funded by NZT Power and NEP – with support from Technip Energies and Balfour Beatty – this £1 million programme offers people aged 16 and over the chance to gain skills for careers in the clean energy sector. Following a competitive selection process, 141 students will begin up to two years of training in welding, instrumentation, pipefitting, electrical engineering, and civil operations. Course design and delivery is affected through the Tees Valley Regional Skills Consortium, a collaboration between the project, the combined authority (including the Teesworks Skills Academy), employers, ECITB, ECIA and regional training providers who will deliver the programme; the Education Training Collective (Etc.) incorporating Redcar & Cleveland College and NETA Training, Middlesbrough College, TTE and Northern Skills, Hartlepool College of FE, and Darlington College. Participants will receive £100 per week during term time to help with living costs.

Skills Outreach

Alongside the three schemes, Technip Energies, consortium lead delivering the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract for the NZT Power and NEP onshore Power, Capture and Compression project, and Balfour Beatty, construction partner, have delivered more than 100 hours of educational engagement to more than 1000 students, run targeted recruitment campaigns, and collaborated with Teesside’s industrial community to align training with local industry needs.

Quotes 

Ian Hunter, Managing Director of Net Zero Teesside Power, said: “This is about creating real opportunity for young people in Teesside. By opening doors to further education and technical training, we’re helping build a future-ready and skilled workforce that will power the UK’s net zero transition – and ensuring that local people are at the heart of it.”

Rich Denny, Managing Director at Northern Endurance Partnership, said: “These apprenticeship schemes represent the future of Teesside. At NEP, we’re not only building world-leading low-carbon infrastructure, but we’re also investing in the people who will operate and sustain it. These apprentices are an integral part of that vision.”

Minister for Industry, Sarah Jones, said: “This is our clean power mission in action – creating good, skilled jobs for young people in Teesside, while helping us tackle the climate crisis and increase our energy security.

“From engineers to welders to technicians, our upcoming Clean Energy Workforce Strategy will continue this success by creating high-quality jobs across the clean power sector up and down the country.”

 

Bisma Akram, an incoming marketing and communications apprentice at Balfour Beatty, said: “I’m excited to take on new challenges, expand my knowledge, and refine my skills throughout this apprenticeship. I look forward to learning from real projects and developing as a marketing communications professional. My goal is to contribute to the team’s success and build a strong future together.”

Andy Lambden, Project Director, Balfour Beatty, said: “At Balfour Beatty, we believe in building more than infrastructure, we build futures. This apprenticeship event, welcoming the new 2025 cohort for our project is a testament to our unwavering commitment to skills development and empowering young people across Teesside. Through the NZT-NEP Power project, we’re not only delivering a transformative energy solution, but also investing in the next generation of talent who will help shape the future of our industry and our communities.”

Juan David Lopez, Executive Project Director, Technip Energies, added: “Welcoming this cohort of apprentices to the Net Zero Teesside Power – Northern Endurance Partnership Project is about more than skills development—it’s about empowering local young people to be part of a pioneering low-carbon energy project that’s shaping the future of the UK industry. Empowerment is at the core of Technip Energies’ spirit. With this groundbreaking project on their doorstep, they’re gaining hands-on experience in energy transition while helping shape a more sustainable future for the region.”