Giving energy to jobs drive

LEADING North East figures have expressed hope that a high-tech training facility will tackle inequality in one of the country’s most deprived towns.

- JAMES ROBINSON

The £15 million Energy Central Hub in Blyth was officially opened by the Education Secretary yesterday.

The site, which welcomed its first learners back in September, is now almost entirely complete, with a visitor centre planned to showcase Blyth’s industrial heritage and future set to be installed over the summer holidays.

A “unique” partnership between the Port of Blyth, Northumberland County Council, and the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, the four-storey centre aims to equip youngsters with the skills needed to work in the town’s blossoming clean energy sector.

Alongside Secretary of State Bridget Phillipson, also in attendance were Northumberland County Council leader Glen Sanderson, North East Mayor Kim McGuinness and Martin Lawlor, the chairman of the Energy Central Hub.

According to the 2021 census, the Cowpen area of Blyth is the most deprived ward in Northumberland and one of the most deprived in the country, with 68.5% of households experiencing some level of deprivation.