Hartlepool’s Orangebox Training Solutions helping Engie improve workforce

A Teesside training provider is helping global energy group deliver a greener, more affordable supply to businesses across the UK.

Orangebox Training Solutions is working with Engie, through its Equans brand, to educate and improve areas of its workforce.

What started out in 2016 as an agreement to deliver leadership and management training has progressed into graduate retreat management schools, high potential apprentice training and, more recently, working with Equans’ 125 new starters from the government’s Kickstart Scheme.

Orangebox’s Michael Glenn, the director of development and innovation, has been heading to Kent to lead the retreats, as well as other sessions in the classrooms at the company’s Tranquility House base at Hartlepool Marina.

Anastasia Womack, Equans’ talent, development and early careers lead, said: “Our relationship has developed into broader career skills across early career talent. Everything is focused on employability, especially with the Kickstarts.

“We started to work with Orangebox more formally last year when we used to do some work in our service centre to look at management development. That developed into graduate management school and now more.

“Our residential retreats, held every quarter, are super interactive and immersive and by Orangebox acting as coaches we are developing future talent and leaders for Engie and Equans.”

Orangebox director Michael has led courses in person and virtually for Equans, part of the Engie Group, and he is delighted at the way the partnership has progressed.

Tranquility House’s new classrooms and meeting rooms, supported from the Tees Valley Business Growth Fund funded by the European Regional Development Fund, are now hosting a number of the sessions.

Michael Glenn said: “We’re now working with a range of colleagues from the Kickstart, Apprenticeship and Graduate programmes and getting to know much more about how we can help them to plan their career and build their skills and experience.

“The very best thing about it is how we are able to work closely with the Talent, Development & Early Careers team to make sure what we deliver will lead to lasting results for those involved.

“The graduate retreat was a brilliant opportunity to get the group away from the ‘day job’ and spend some time covering topics that are sometimes pushed to the bottom of the list – reflection, self-awareness and empathy.

“Every one of the group stepped up to the challenges we set and everyone is looking forward to the second week at the end of January.”

Orangebox has developed a 12-month programme enabling learners to have soft skills and take them on to personal development. There is an aim to provide communication skills and build resilience.

Anastasia said: “On our next retreat we are basing it on the global economic forum’s top ten skills for 2025, we want to future proof graduates on those skills such as problem solving and immersive intelligence.

“Usually a week will be a mix of workshop-style tasks, this time we are doing more physical things, like taking them to maritime skills training, presenting a challenge to build resilience and work on physical attributes and team building.”

Equans is focusing on the young having established a partnership with Youth Employment UK, and Orangebox is linking to that by providing an offer using government funded contracts to help the giant energy group on the road to net-zero.