Aycliffe Business editor Martin Walker talks to Aycliffe Business Park Community board members Thomas Prentice and Sarah Monk, who are leading ‘groundbreaking’ careers programme to inspire our future workers
A bold new initiative from Aycliffe Business Park Community is proving to be a game-changer in bridging the gap between education and employment for young people in South Durham.
What began as a small pilot named Business Safari has now evolved into Aspire – a large-scale careers and enterprise programme that has already introduced hundreds of local schoolchildren to the world of work on their doorstep.
The Business Safari pilot, initially led by passionate trio Kerina Clark, Sarah Monk and Thomas Prentice, was a simple but powerful idea: take a group of young people and give them the chance to step inside real businesses, speak to staff, see operations in action and gain first-hand experience of the diverse opportunities across Aycliffe Business Park.
It involved a small number of students visiting Newton Press, BTS Fabrications, Stiller Warehousing and Distribution and The Fish Tank on the business park.
The success of that trial laid the foundations for Aspire, now led by Sarah and Thomas – who have expanded the programme into something with real impact and potential.
Thanks to a £10,000 grant from the Great Aycliffe and Middridge Partnership (GAMP), Aspire was delivered over three separate days.
Around 430 students from Woodham Academy, Greenfield Academy and Bishop Auckland’s King James Academy took part, visiting 10 different businesses including BTS Fabrications, Ebac, epm, Excelpoint, Husqvarna UK, NC Group, Optimum Skills, Stiller, The Work Place and South West Durham Training.
The aim is simple but ambitious: to ensure every young person in the area knows what’s available to them locally – from apprenticeships and training routes to careers in everything from engineering and logistics to technology and professional services.
For Thomas Prentice, Aspire is not just a box-ticking exercise for schools – it’s a real, working solution to a growing problem.
“Business Safari was really the launchpad for what became Aspire,” explains Thom, business development manager at Stiller Warehousing and Distribution by day, as well as a passionate ABPC board member.
“Schools have been struggling to find meaningful work experience opportunities, and so this really ticks that box.
“It’s practical, it’s engaging, and it gives students a taste of the real world.”
But more than that, the outcomes speak for themselves.
“As a result of Aspire, we took on a work placement with one individual who is due to start an apprenticeship with us. So that’s all the proof you need that this works.”
Thomas is clear on what needs to happen next, adding: “What we need now is funding to take this project forward, because the importance of it can’t be underestimated.”
Proud Newtonian Sarah Monk is equally passionate about the programme, and about the opportunities available within the Aycliffe area – which she believes are too often overlooked by young people and their families.
“It’s absolutely unique,” says education specialist Sarah, currently chief strategy officer for The Edwin Group and also an ABPC volunteer.
“No young person leaving a school in Newton Aycliffe should be leaving without an opportunity to go into training, an apprenticeship or employment, because they’ve got all this right on their doorstep.
“Other areas just don’t have what we have next door to them – hundreds of businesses employing thousands of people across the full range of job skills.
“We have an incredible combination of training providers, strong relationships with local colleges like Bishop Auckland College, and then the sheer diversity of employers on the park.
“It’s a massive opportunity for schools in our area.”
But like Thomas, she sees the need for long-term support.
“The more those relationships can be built the better,” she adds.
“And, for the employers, this is your future workforce – the sons and daughters of your employees are the next generation of staff.
“We’ve developed this fantastic model that we believe is groundbreaking, and yet we can’t seem to get the money to sustain it.”
The beauty of Aspire is in its simplicity. The model works, schools are engaged, businesses are on board, and students are clearly benefiting – not just in terms of awareness, but with real-world progression routes into the workplace.
“Aycliffe businesses are bought into this – it’s a no-brainer as far as they’re concerned,” Sarah continues.
“We just need resource and funding to make it a regular part of the school calendar, so that every young person gets the same brilliant opportunity to see what’s on their doorstep.”
As the programme looks to the future, the hope is that key stakeholders – including education leaders, businesses, local authorities and regional funders – will recognise the value in Aspire and back it to grow.
Because as Sarah and Thomas both make clear, this isn’t just about careers education.
It’s about community, ambition and unlocking the incredible talent that lives just a few streets away from some of the region’s most innovative and successful businesses.
For Aycliffe, Aspire is more than a programme – it’s a pathway to a brighter, more connected future.
Any businesses, organisations or individuals interested in talking to Aycliffe Business Park Community about its Aspire programme can email [email protected]