North East training provider opens new Sunderland centre

A long-established North East training provider has swung open the doors to its third Sunderland facility, as it looks to help people get back into work.

Resources North East – a training provider that has bases across the region – has opened a new Washington centre, from which it will deliver security and health and social care courses to support people to gain the skills they need to access employment.

The new 2,000sq ft hub will also become Resources North East’s new head office, with the company’s management team and central office staff based out of Pennine House, which is close to the Galleries.

David Watson, managing director of the 32-year-old firm, which provides training in areas spanning construction, hair and beauty, health and social care, forklift driving, and security, chose to open its new Washington centre to expand its delivery capacity and tap into an underserved area.

He said: “We are a business that is very much focused on delivering a small range of courses that are aligned to the region’s needs and that provide high-quality training focused on getting people ready for work, with the specific skills they need to flourish in their chosen industries.

“Our agility as a relatively small provider means we are uniquely able to respond to the needs of industry. We have additional space within our Washington facility, and we are asking businesses to reach out, and let us know what requirement they have for training so we can explore how we can support them with it and ensure that the industries that require skilled people with strong work ethic are able to tap into a talent pool of employees with the skills required to fulfil the roles.”

Resources North East was set up in 1989 in Sunderland and now has facilities in Jarrow, Newcastle and Sunderland. The provider employs 48 people and delivers training to some 240 students at any one time.

David added: “We work with clients in a way that essentially makes us a free recruitment tool. We get students signed up onto courses that train them to fulfil the roles businesses need, ensuring that our trainees leave us with the skills and experience to succeed in the workplace and a ‘can do’ attitude that we know is vital to employers.”

Resources North East was awarded funding as part of the Government’s Covid recovery response to provide high-quality retraining to people who had lost their job during the pandemic. One key aim is to support people into caring roles, and Resources North East has launched a new care academy, a 4-6 week course that will train people up around dementia care and end of life care, ensuring the region’s skills needs are met.

“We are able to quickly mobilise to support the regional economy, and to ensure that the area has the skills it needs to succeed, and we’re pleased to be able to do that across the North East, with local bases and courses that support the needs of the area. We’re very much about playing an active part in the region’s success.”

To find out more about Resources North East, visit https://www.resourcesnortheast.co.uk/