Northumberland Employability Network visits Newbiggin

In March, Newbiggin Sports Centre hosted the Northumberland Employability Network for their first in person meeting of 2025. It was fantastic to see so many familiar faces, and many newer members attending for the first time, with representatives from both public and private sectors, DWP, and numerous VCSE organisations.  

It was fantastic to take a look back at 2024 and see what the network achieved. Welcoming an extra 100 members over the course of the year, 6 network meetings and 5 training provider showcase events saw 554 attendees come together to hear from 35 presenters, discuss a range of issues and consider key actions to take forward in 2025 to support residents into work and employers to recruit. 

Our lively discussions continued with a new focus group convened to discuss support for those with disabilities and health conditions, the care leaver group continuing their work, and Shona Clark from Business Northumberland joined us to lead coordination around employer engagement. We were delighted to also support a key priority for Northumberland County Council, tackling inequalities, with representatives from the Public Health team facilitating workshops around reducing inequalities through employment.  

We look forward to continuing all this great work throughout the year, bringing together new collaborations and meeting new partners to coordinate our work.