The challenge

Foreign-owned businesses play a crucial role in Tees Valley’s economy, but ensuring they have access to the right skills and training is essential for their long-term success.

Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) commissioned Urban Foresight to assess the current and future skills demand from these businesses and develop practical recommendations to support workforce development over the next three to five years.

Why it’s important

Tees Valley has ambitious economic growth plans, including expanding its strengths in energy, advanced manufacturing, and emerging industries. Ensuring a skilled workforce is available to support these sectors is critical to attracting investment, securing high-value jobs, and fostering long-term prosperity.

By identifying the specific skills needs of foreign-owned businesses—ranging from technical expertise to leadership and digital skills—this project helps shape local education and training provision to align with economic priorities. The insights also inform TVCA’s wider skills strategy, supporting initiatives that enhance workforce resilience and competitiveness in a rapidly evolving job market.

Our approach

We conducted a structured research programme, combining desk-based analysis with direct industry engagement. This included:

• Semi-structured interviews with nearly 30 foreign-owned businesses across a range of sectors, including nuclear and energy.
• A roadmapping workshop with industry representatives, training providers, and TVCA to co-develop practical pathways for addressing skills gaps.
• A synthesis of insights into a final report with an options assessment and clear recommendations for action.

Despite a tight project timeline due to national funding constraints, we successfully engaged businesses by being flexible in scheduling interviews, proactively reaching out to nearly 100 firms, and clearly communicating the value of the research to both individual businesses and the wider region.

The impact

Our recommendations are now shaping the combined authority’s approach to skills development, with discussions underway to establish a skills working group. This could lead to new initiatives such as flexible apprenticeships and enhanced collaboration between businesses, training providers, and policymakers to ensure Tees Valley’s workforce is equipped for the future.

How Urban Foresight can help you

Urban Foresight specialises in delivering evidence-based insights and strategic recommendations that enable policymakers, businesses, and training providers to make informed decisions. Our expertise in stakeholder engagement, foresight methodologies, and economic development ensures that our clients can anticipate challenges, capitalise on emerging opportunities, and implement solutions that drive long-term impact.

Whether you need to assess workforce needs, develop innovation strategies, or create roadmaps for economic growth, we can help you turn insights into action. Contact us at hello@urbanforesight.com to find out more.