APPENDIX 1
Atlantic Gateway
Major Projects and future Career Opportunities
First Draft
May 2014
Background
The Atlantic Gateway is an area of the UK where great economic change and opportunity are beginning to take hold. The Atlantic Gateway which stretches from the start of the Mersey Estuary, along the Ship Canal and into Greater Manchester, is a place which is seeing transformational projects being designed and implemented.
These major development opportunities currently being advanced along the Atlantic Gateway will create opportunities for new jobs and new career opportunities.
The changes are likely to mean that demand will emerge for new skills, and new career opportunities will exist for the benefit of a wider pool of residents. Recognising the nature of these new opportunities, and reviewing the type of skills and attributes required to secure these new roles, should form a key part of planning the future provision of skills training, careers advice, and should shape how individuals make choices about their own learning.
For students making choices about which options they take during their secondary education (11-18) and the choices that face them for their tertiary education (18+) it is important they consider how those choices can influence their future choice of occupation.
It is apparent that a wide number of opportunities will open up for those with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) skills and qualifications.
Equally, a wide range of semi-skilled and customer facing roles will also become available as new development takes place.
There are major growth areas along the Atlantic Gateway, and where there is growth there are increased opportunities for employment.
The Key Project Factsheets
1. Airport related opportunities in the Atlantic Gateway
Manchester Airport
Manchester Airport Enterprise Zone
Liverpool Airport
World Cargo Centre LJLA
2. Port related opportunities in the Atlantic Gateway
Port of Liverpool Atlantic Terminal
Port Wirral
Port Bridgewater
Ellesmere Port Docks
Port Salford
3. Opportunities in the Enterprise Zones in the Atlantic Gateway
Wirral Waters Enterprise Zone
Liverpool Waters Enterprise Zone
Liverpool City Enterprise Zone
Daresbury Enterprise Zone
4. Opportunities in Logistics in the Atlantic Gateway
3MG
Omega
5. Opportunities in the Media and Digital in the Atlantic Gateway
6. Opportunities in building and maintaining new infrastructure in the Atlantic Gateway (road, rail, housing, commercial development)
Factsheet 1 Airport Growth
The North West has a large and important aviation sector. The two principal North West Airports, Manchester and Liverpool, represent, by a clear distance, the second largest concentration of airport activity outside of the South East.
Both airports are expected to grow over the next ten years, and not only is the level of flight activity likely to increase, the opportunities to create economic activity on sites around the airports are significant.
Twenty years ago Manchester Airports principal business was as a base for charter airlines, who flew people away on holidays. The mix at the airport has radically changed with a big increase in scheduled services, usually daily, to a mix of key business and leisure destinations worldwide.
Manchester Airport has the largest global flight network of any UK airport outside of London. It has several daily transatlantic flights directly serving key business hubs such as New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Atlanta, as well as connection to key leisure destinations of Orlando and Las Vegas.
The Airport has also built connectivity to key middle-eastern hubs, with three daily flights to Dubai, as well as services to Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and Qatar. There are daily flights to all major European business hubs, such as Amsterdam, Paris and Zurich.
It has been announced recently that Cathay Pacific will start direct flights to Hong Kong from December 2014. It is estimated that the addition of just this one new route will create 200 new jobs. There are strong prospects for further new routes to growing global business hubs to open up, such as flights to mainland China.
It is likely that Manchester Airport will continue to grow its international flights roster over the next twenty years, especially as new generations of jets, such as Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 jets make new long-haul routes increasingly viable. Changes made to Air Passenger Duty in the March 2014 budget will also contribute to an increase in new long-haul routes as the reduced tax makes new routes increasingly viable to airlines.
Manchester Airport also still retains a very large ‘charter’ market, flights designed specifically for the leisure sector. Many of these operators, such as Thomson and Thomas Cook have a base at the airport, and hire Manchester based flight and cabin staff.
Liverpool Airport is an important hub for the two key low cost carriers in the UK, Easy Jet and Ryan Air. The two airlines service a large and varied range of European destinations. The airlines both have strong growth plans, with new aircraft on order, and are likely to base new aircraft at both Manchester and Liverpool airports.
The on-going increase in flights will create a future on-going demand for people to undertake roles related to airport growth. This includes the wide range of aviation related roles from pilots, airport operations, flight crew, dispatchers, immigration, air traffic controllers, baggage handling and check-in staff. But it also increases the number of roles in wider activities, such as airport retail, hotel and hospitality related careers, various driving jobs and entry level roles such as security.
Careers Box 1: Customer Facing Roles
There are a number of different airport related roles where language skills can make an important difference. Key customer facing roles both at the airport and in surrounding facilities such as hotels, value potential employees who can speak a second language. Key European business languages such as Spanish, French and German are valuable, other global languages such as Mandarin, Arabic and Hindi may become increasingly sought after.
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Airports increasingly resemble 24 hour cities, with activity going on around the clock. This will support a wide number of roles which require shift working. Whilst not for everyone, shift work often offers a higher level of pay, and some extra flexibilities traditional 9-5pm contracts don’t.
The Airports will typically support a number of management roles, Manchester Airport runs a graduate scheme. This allows people to progress into senior roles in the operational management of the Airport. The Airport has to manage complex commercial relationships with retailers, car park operators and hotel operators, these all require higher level business and commercial skills.
The Airports also have teams of people whose job it is to promote the airport to airlines that don’t currently fly to Manchester or Liverpool. The people working in these teams have to assemble business and economic cases to present to airlines on the potential for creating a profitable new route. The skills required for these types of roles include economics, statistics and business planning.
Liverpool John Lennon Airport Future Growth
Liverpool Airport has started to develop its international connections and is an expanding airport. Its expansion plans include the creation of 5,600 jobs over the next twenty years with a focus on a new transport corridor and World Cargo Centre.
The addition of a freight business at the Airport will increase the number of distribution and logistics businesses that will cluster in the vicinity of the airport. This will continue to open out career opportunities in the logistics sector (see Career Box XX)
Careers Box 2 : Airport Careers
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Role
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Locations
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Education and Experience
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Immigration Officer
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Liverpool Airport
Manchester Airport
Port of Liverpool
Cruise Liner Terminal
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- No specific requirements
- Will need to pass a written test to demonstrate decision making skills
- Speaking a second language is a benefit
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Passenger Handling Agent
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Liverpool Airport
Manchester Airport
Cruise Liner Terminal
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- Educated to GCSE level in English and mathematics
- Preference for a foreign European language
- Qualifications in travel and tourism are helpful
- IT literate
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Pilot
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Manchester Airport
Liverpool Airport
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- Minimum 5 GCSE grade A-C in English, maths and science
- Minimum of 2 A Levels, preferably in maths and physics
- Higher Education, preferably in scientific or aeronautic areas
- Some experience in aviation is helpful (such as membership of the Air Training Corps)
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Cabin Crew
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Manchester Airport
Liverpool Airport
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- Entry levels vary between different airlines, usual minimum of 3-5 GCSE’s
- A foreign language is a definite advantage
- First aid certificate
- Must have a valid passport
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Trainee Firefighter
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Manchester Airport
Liverpool Airport
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- Good general education including GCSE in English and Maths
- Full clean driving license – held for six months
- Some experience of working in a team environment
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Terminal Maintenance Engineers
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Liverpool Airport
Manchester Airport
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- Most companies require you to be a minimum of 18 years old
- To become an engineer an Apprenticeship, City and Guilds or ONC is required
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Air Traffic Controller
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Liverpool Airport
Manchester Airport
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- Minimum requirement is 5 GCSE’s (a-C) including English and Mathematics
- 2 ‘A’ Levels, or a GNVQ Advanced Level
- A degree in a maths or science related field is an advantage
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Aviation Security Officer
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Liverpool Airport
Manchester Airport
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- Good general education
- Full and clean driving license
- Previous history of customer service is helpful
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Airport Operations
- Ground Services
- Airport Operations
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Liverpool Airport
Manchester Airport
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- 5 GCSE’s including maths and English
- Experience of working in an operational environment
- Experience of working in shifts is an advantage
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Airport Hotels + Parking
Transfer Buses
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Airport City Mcr
Liverpool Airport
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- To operate larger buses will require a license for PCV (passenger Carrying Vehicles)
- Commercial license can cost up to £1,000 to obtain
- Must be 18 and hold a full UK car license
- Must pass a theory and practical test
- Have to renew and pass medical test every 5 years
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Factsheet 2 Port Growth
The Port and Maritime sectors, since the time of the industrial revolution, have always been of particular important to the north-west of England. At the start of the 20th century, Liverpool was the most important Port in the British Empire, and was the home to one seventh of the worlds shipping fleet.
In the 21st century Ports play a still vital but different role in world trade . In an era of globalisation, where goods are manufactured and produced in all continents of the world, the role of container ships and Ports that host them has become ever more important.
Whereas once Ports largely managed the importation of ‘bulk goods’, raw materials such as coal or grain, now they are increasingly the means for shipping higher value consumer goods and products. The method for shipping is ‘containers’, there are an estimated 17 million containers in use in the world, and the largest container ships (Maersk Line a global shipping company with a base in Liverpool recently took delivery of a new generation of container ship capable of carrying 18,200 20ft containers) in the world will soon be able to make stops in Liverpool. This is directly related to the construction of a new in-river berth.
The Atlantic Gateway area is in a strong position to capitalise on this shift in global markets to expand its port operations and develop a more integrated transport network with the Port of Liverpool, Port of Salford, Port Warrington and Port Wirral at its core. The development of the port network is a major priority for Atlantic Gateway and provides an opportunity to
Attract significant business investment into the area;
Increase trade volumes in and out of the Port of Liverpool;
Substantially reduce freight transport costs;
Reduce road freight and carbon emissions;
Create a substantial number of port centric jobs; and
Increase the ability of Atlantic Gateway businesses to compete internationally.
Super Port
Super Port is the term sometimes used to describe the combined Port infrastructure in the region. The region’s £1.8bn Super Port investment plans are predicted to create 20,000 jobs and £6.1bn in GVA by 2020 and a further 8,000 jobs by 2030 through major infrastructure projects.
The Port of Liverpool
The Port of Liverpool (also known as Port Seaforth) is one of the most significant Port operations in the UK.
There are ambitious plans being implemented to further expand the Port. The construction of a new terminal, called Liverpool 2, will allow the worlds largest container ships to call into Liverpool. The proposals will have a national impact, most goods for north of England markets reach the north of England via Ports in the South, the implementation of ‘Liverpool 2’ will change this.
This expansion will have a number of impacts;
It will create additional visits from container ships, increasing the volume of activity at the Port and the number of jobs at the Port
It will create a significant supply of new jobs in the logistics and distribution sectors
It will create additional Port related opportunities along the Manchester Ship Canal, as goods are trans-shipped onto smaller vessels to new Port developments further inland
This new terminal will almost double the capacity of the existing operations and will enable faster turnaround of vessels in and out of the facility. It is anticipated that the new terminal will create some 6,000 jobs, cost £300m and will establish the Atlantic Gateway as a major destination for manufacturers and retailers.
The Port of Garston
There is a large Port facility at Garston. The Port of Garston is a mixed facility, which includes both bulk goods and containers. There is also a bulk scrap export facility in the Port.
Future Port Development Opportunities
There are proposals for a number of new Port Developments in the Mersey Estuary and along the length of the Manchester Ship Canal. These will be built out over a number of years, the speed at which they are constructed will be dependent upon the level and timing of growth of demand for goods imported by container.
Port Salford
Port Salford will play a critical part in the movement of freight to and from the Seaforth terminal by short sea shipping, removing freight from local road and rail networks.
The Port will also be a major logistics hub in its own right without the growth of the Port of Liverpool due to its tri-modal networks (road, rail and inland port), specialist warehousing facilities and loading cranes.
It is estimated that the project will cost £140m, including an extensive road development scheme, and will create more than 4,000 jobs.
Port Warrington
The Port Warrington site is close to the M56 and is rail serviced. It has some existing warehousing on site, and has the capability to be expanded.
Port Bridgewater
The Port Bridgewater site is close to the Port Wirral site. It is a very large tract of brownfield land, it can accommodate over 1 million square foot of logistics space.
Port Wirral
The site identified for Port Wirral is between Junction 6 and 7 of the M53 motorway, it is directly alongside the Manchester Ship Canal. The site also has the capability to be serviced by a rail service, which would offer multi-modal (an ability to move goods by sea road or rail).
Port Warrington
Warrington is located near to the Manchester Ship Canal with considerable opportunities to not only develop the port facilities with important supply chain implications for existing and new businesses but also to develop the wider area linking it through to the town centre. Other port developments are in various stages of development such as Port Wirral, Port Ince and Port Bridgewater
Careers Box 3: Career Opportunities at the Port
There are a wide range of career opportunities associated with the development of Port facilities, the main opportunities can be split between four principal areas. The Harbour Master, the Port Manager, the Port Engineer and the Traffic Manager.
The Harbour Master is responsible for handling the movement of shipping within the Port. There are a number of different career points from a Maritime Operative (which requires an NVQ2) and then more senior roles of Maritime Team Leader, Maritime Pilot. There are qualifications that can be undertaken for these roles, a Foundation Degree/Diploma in Port Management and a Harbour Master Certificate.
The Port Manager is responsible for the general operational management of the Port. There are a number of career points leading up to the role of Harbour Manager. There are roles as General Operatives, and then Team Leader and Supervisory roles in Port Operations. The qualifications that can lead to these roles include a Foundation Degree/Diploma in Port Management.
The Port Engineer is responsible for ensuring all the mechanical and electrical equipment is working. This role is supported by Mechanical Assistants, Mechanics and Workshop Managers. These roles generally require an NVQ 4/5 or degree level engineering qualification.
A large Port operation will generally require a mix of engineering disciplines, including mechanical, structural, electrical and civil engineering skills.
There are also other more general career opportunities at the Ports.
For those Ports that offer passenger services there is a requirement for check-in and customer interfacing staff, as well as a greater demand for staff with skills in catering and hospitality.
There are a number of companies who operate freight forwarding services. There is a particularly strong representation of these companies in Liverpool City Centre.
There are opportunities in HM Customs and Revenues, in particular at the Ports which receive international traffic directly.
There are likely to be a number of warehouses/storage areas at the Port. These require warehouse operators, drivers and in some cases stevedoring companies, who handle the loading and unloading of cargos.
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Factsheet 3 Enterprise Zones
Wirral Waters, Liverpool Waters, Liverpool City EZ, Daresbury EZ, Manchester Airport City EZ
Enterprise Zones are areas which have been designated by Government for special tax treatment, this should lead to economic growth and new jobs in these locations.
The Enterprise Zones in the Atlantic Gateway are diverse, this means they are likely to offer a wide range of career opportunities.
Airport City EZ
Over 35,000 people are expected to work in Manchester Airport and the neighbouring Airport City Development in the next ten years with half of all new jobs requiring higher level and graduate skills in key growth sectors such as logistics, digital and creative, bio-science, advanced manufacturing, hospitality and construction.
This zone is designed to create new economic opportunities for those businesses that will benefit from proximity to a major international airport. The range of targeted business hoped to be attracted to the area is very wide. This includes business space, European Regional HQ buildings, a medi-park, logistics facilities, advanced manufacturing and supporting retail and leisure, as well as hotel and conferencing.
The development of this area will create a wide range of career opportunities.
Careers Box 4: Careers In the Advanced Manufacturing
The Atlantic Gateway area contains a wide range of career opportunities in advanced manufacturing. There are some very large existing manufacturers, in particular Jaguar Land Rover at Halewood and Vauxhall at Ellesmere Port. In North Wales, there is a large Airbus plant that manufacturers wings for many of the Airbus family of aircraft.
The Enterprise Zones at Airport City Manchester and Wirral Waters have targeted advanced manufacturing operations. This is because as Port and Airport connectivity allow parts to be delivered for manufacture and assembly in a rapid time frame. Many of these companies may be attracted to the Enterprise Zones, as an ideal location as suppliers of parts that are fitted to Jaguar or Vauxhall cars.
There are also career opportunities in existing manufacturing supply companies. There is a strong presence at Knowsley Industrial Estate, and also in the Ellesmere Port area.
Skills Mix for Automotive Jobs
The most relevant subjects for access to the sector are mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, production engineering and manufacturing engineering. These can be studied at BTEC, HNC and HND levels, many companies will offer a range of apprenticeships and graduate opportunities. The base skills are founded in maths, IT and design. These qualifications would all help access jobs in the sector.
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Wirral Waters Enterprise Zone
The plans for this site are for a thirty to fifty year transformation of largely vacant dock space. The size of the site is such that it will host a wide variety of uses, such as houses, cultural facilities, educational facilities and offices.
Two of the earliest proposed projects are the International Trade Centre and an Advanced Manufacturing park. The trade centre proposals are explicitly targeting foreign companies who want to develop a presence in UK and European markets. The site is being actively marketed to Chinese mainland businesses, and will give them an opportunity to use the site in the Wirral to increase the penetration of their products into European markets.
The development of the Trade Centre would see new business career opportunities potentially open-up, and because of the nature of the likely occupiers those candidates with second language skills are more likely to succeed.
There is likely to be demand for office development in the location. It was announced in June 2014 that an £8.5m four-storey office development will be constructed for completion by early 2016.
The development of an Advanced Manufacturing Park will likely increase the demand for people with skills in advanced engineering related disciplines (outlined in Careers Box )
Large manufacturers like General Motors (who run the Vauxhall Plant at Ellesmere Port) and Tata who own Jaguar Land Rover and their facility at Speke are increasingly looking to ensure they have a supply chain for their parts close to the factories. General Motors have invested resources in attempting to increase the number of parts provided through local suppliers for its Ellesmere Port plant to 25%. The motor manufacturing sector needs production flexibility, and if parts take six weeks to be shipped from Asia to a plant in the UK this can cause major logistical problems. This approach will help increase the number of career opportunities in manufacturing businesses in the supply chains of General Motors and JLR.
Liverpool Waters
The plans for Liverpool Waters are on a similar long-term basis to those for Wirral Waters. The outline mix of development for the site sees a mix of office development and residential development.
The Liverpool Waters site includes the existing Princes Dock site, which has a range of existing office occupiers, as well as hotel and residential development.
Liverpool City Enterprise Zone
The city enterprise zone in Liverpool is more likely to attract office type development. This is most likely to mean an expansion of some of the key employment sectors which are present in both Manchester and Liverpool City Centres.
These include financial services companies, legal companies, contact and business centres and company headquarter functions. These are increasingly supported by a mix of hotel, leisure and retail businesses.
Liverpool City Centre has a number of particular specialities, where career opportunities may expand. It has a wealth management sector, with some well established companies operating in the city, as well as a strong presence in the insurance sector. In general mathematics and accountancy skills are key to accessing these roles, as well as on-going professional development.
The type of employment opportunities in city centre type locations are too wide to cite in a document such as this, but the careers options are likely to be offered at a number of different entry points.
Daresbury Campus
Daresbury Campus, which is located between Warrington and Runcorn, is a major UK centre for science. The campus is known as ‘Sci-Tech Daresbury’.
The are a wide range of occupiers at the site. This includes organisations undertaking research on behalf of the Government, research being carried out by large international companies (such as Intel, BAe Systems and IBM) and a whole range of activities being undertaken by a mix of small high-technology companies.
In Focus: The Daresbury Laboratory
The Daresbury Laboratory is a Government run facility on the Sci-Tech site, that is one of the worlds leading scientific research centres and one of two national centres in the UK. There are over 300 research scientists working in the facility. The facility is run by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).
Accelerator Science and Technology Centre
This Centre supports Particle accelerator research and development programme focusing on accelerator science and technology development.
The Institute houses teams of scientists from STFC and the Universities of Manchester, Liverpool and Lancaster carrying out research in accelerator science with applications across a range of disciplines
This uses High Performance Computing to undertake scientific research in fields such as engineering and medicine, and assists companies with research and development of new products
Medical Technology Exchange Centre (MedTEC)
This Centre brings together expertise from Science and Technology Funding Council, the NHS and other related fields
The Knowledge Centre for Materials Chemistry
This is a virtual Centre, operated in partnership with the Universities of Bolton, Liverpool and Manchester allowing multi-disciplinary research and innovative knowledge transfer based on world-class capabilities in applied materials chemistry
Engineering Technology Centre
This Centre providing integrated engineering solutions for STFC programmes and facilities, campus tenants and other stakeholders
STFC’s Nuclear Physics programme
Detector Systems Group
This programme provides world class instrumentation and detector systems in support of the STFC
The Innovations Technology Access Centre
The Centre offers entrepreneurs and businesses flexible and affordable access to £3m of scientific equipment in fully-equipped biological, imaging, materials and physical science laboratories for research and development
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The site is also home to a whole range of different science related businesses. Some of the specialisms at Daresbury include accelerator science, high performance computing, and sensors and detectors.
The range of activities undertaken and the type of projects many of the companies are engaged in are of international significance. For example, a small company based on the site Croft Additive Manufacturing, have been working on the Large Hadron Collider at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research in Switzerland. Croft Additive use 3D metallic printing to manufacture parts for filters.
Many of the small companies have the potential to grow significantly, and add on additional staff. A number of initiatives are being progressed by Halton Borough Council in partnership with Sci-Tech and its occupiers to better promote the range of career opportunities at the site.
There are also opportunities to work in the nuclear sector, with BNFL having a base at the nearby Daresbury Business Park, and a number of other nuclear related companies based in and around the Birchwood Park area of Warrington.
Careers Box 5: Opportunities for Careers in Science
Entry Level Opportunities
The majority of science related careers will require higher-level skills to access. In sectors such as bio-science, the entry level type roles are for ‘Lab-Technicians’, ‘Technical Support’ and ‘Research Assistant’ type roles. To access these roles generally an A Level, or equivalent, qualification in science related subjects are required.
Higher Skills Level Opportunities
Many of the roles projected into the future will require a minimum of a Science related University degree, some will require post-graduate qualifications. Examples of these roles include, ‘Microbiologists’, ‘Pharmaceutical Analysts’ and ‘Research Chemists’.
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Factsheet 4 Distribution and Logistics Growth
Distribution and logistics are major areas for growth
Whilst both the Airports and the Port system in the Atlantic Gateway play a critical role in providing the access for goods either arriving or departing from the region, it is the large buildings where goods get sorted for delivery to businesses or domestic homes which has grown tremendously over the last ten years, and is projected to grow much faster in the next ten years.
There have been radical changes in the way households shop, with internet shopping (e-tailing) taking an ever greater share of the retail market. To achieve this growth retailers must be in a position to deliver goods rapidly to households across the UK, with consumers increasingly expecting next day delivery. This requires very large facilities where goods can be processed, sorted and dispatched in a 24 hour working operation.
The large buildings that host these logistics and distribution facilities (often known as fulfilment centres) are far away from the traditional warehouse. They are highly computerised and sophisticated operations. They need to be as consumers will often order a range of products, and expect to have them consolidated into one single delivery package. This type of approach has been pioneered by Amazon, but all major UK retailers have e-tailing businesses, and all of them require complex fulfilment centres.
The drive to achieve rapid delivery times, and meet consumer expectations of next day delivery to households means that one single major UK distribution facility is unlikely to work. UK companies will require a series of large facilities very close to major UK populations, and the Atlantic Gateway is at the heart of one of the largest population centres in the UK. It is also close to major population centres in the West Midlands and Yorkshire.
It is because of the geographic location of the Atlantic Gateway, that the increase in the size of the Port operation at Liverpool is so significant. Not only is it expected that the distribution and logistics market in and around the Atlantic Gateway will grow, but the positioning of the Port of Liverpool as a major place of entry for goods that then get shipped across north of England, Scotland and Midlands markets means that future jobs growth could be very significant indeed.
The 3MG site in Widnes is a very clear example of what a modern logistics site looks and works like. The site has a rail freight terminal, so inward goods can arrive by rail-freight, saving the roads from thousands of additional HGV journeys, and it hosts a number of very large sheds. One of the largest operators on the site is Tesco, who supply vast numbers of their northern stores with fresh produce from this one site.
The Omega site in Warrington, which runs alongside the M62 motorway between junctions 7 and 8, has seen an enormous range of new distribution facilities be constructed over the last 18 months. Companies are locating on this site because it offers great connection to the national motorway networks, and can service very large markets in the Atlantic Gateway area.
There are also a number of other large sites that support distribution in the wider Atlantic Gateway area. These include the Knowsley Industrial Estate, Stonebridge Park on the A580, Pioneer Park at Ellesmere Port, Liverpool International Business Park in Speke, Harworths Estates Logistics North in Bolton and Trafford Park in Manchester.
As can be seen by ‘Careers Box 6’ there are quite a wide range of different roles in the logistics and distribution sector. One key point to bear in mind is that many facilities will work shift-patterns, these enable the centres to be open on a 24 hour a day basis. In most cases these large facilities are difficult to get to by public transport, especially at off-peak hours, so the ability to drive to these jobs is often very important.
Careers Box 6: Careers in Logistics and Distribution
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HGV Drivers
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3MG
Port of Liverpool
Port Salford
North Warrington
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- Class 1 LGV (large goods vehicle) license required
- Commercial license can cost up to £1,000 to obtain
- Must be 18 and hold a full UK car license
- Must pass a theory and practical test
- Have to renew and pass medical test every 5 years
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Warehouse Operator
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3MG
North Warrington
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- Qualifications not essential, but can be helpful
- Such as an NVQ in warehousing and storage
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Fork Lift Truck Driver
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3MG
North Warrington
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- No requirement for formal academic qualifications
- Must pass an approved fork lift training course
- Test is both theory and practical
- Minimum age for the training course is 16
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Warehouse Manager
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3MG
North Warrington
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- Progression to this role is often through promotion from warehouse operative roles
- There are degrees available in Supply chain Management, Logistics and Transport management
- The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport offers a wide range of professional qualifications
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Logistics Manager
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3MG
North Warrington
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- Use of IT to keep up to date with movement of goods
- Management of stock levels, and monitoring of on-time delivery
- Qualifications include the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply
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Factsheet 5 Media Opportunities
MediaCityUK is a specific example of a high growth opportunity which has a vision to become a global hub for innovation and content creation.
It is recognised as an Atlantic Gateway priority project as it represents one of the UK’s largest investments in the digital sector and a major step towards achieving jobs and growth in the economy, with MediaCityUK uniquely placed as the new home for both the BBC and ITV.
More than £650m has been invested in phase one by The Peel Group in developing a state of the art environment for the creative and digital sectors. Overall, it is expected to attract more than £1bn of private sector investment.
This is expected to create more than 15,000 additional jobs for the region over the coming years. As well as the BBC and ITV, MediaCityUK plays host to the northern headquarters for Satellite Information Services (SIS) and nearly 100 smaller creative businesses.
More than 5,000 workers, students and residents are already in situ - the University of Salford and Salford City College provide a focus for education, training and skills development.
Broadcast Media
The BBC and ITV are now fully operational at Media City. These two companies are major employers and will likely have a flow of vacancies as either new positions are created or through people leaving existing posts. Both companies will advertise opportunities on their in-house websites, and in specialist press, such as the Guardian Media Jobs supplement which is published weekly.
It may be that a number of larger companies choose to relocate to Media City. When this occurs they may advertise locally for new recruits. However, an important focus for those looking for media careers is to bear in mind two important points.
Much of the future jobs growth is likely to come from small companies that are expanding. Jobs in these companies will not be advertised as clearly as vacancies in major media companies, it will require some effort to find out who the growing companies are, work out what they are looking for, and often be prepared to make a speculative approach.
The media sector is dominated by people who work on a ‘freelance’ basis. This means they are effectively self-employed and undertake contract work for media clients. This may involve working for a ‘day-rate’ or possibly for weeks or months at a time.
Careers Box 7: Careers in Traditional Broadcasting
There are a range of career opportunities linked to more traditional ‘broadcast’ media organisations such as the BBC and ITV. These include; Broadcast Engineer, Lighting Technician, Make-Up Artist, Prop Maker, Screenwriter, Set Designer, Stage Manager, Sound Engineer, Camera Operator, Producer, Video Editor, Wardrobe Assistant.
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It is worth remembering that many of the programmes (content) is made by independent production companies, who then sell their content on to the BBC, ITV or indeed many other media outlets. Examples of independent production companies based in the Atlantic Gateway area include Red Production Company, Acrobat Media, Toasted Productions and Lime Pictures. There are also opportunities in London companies with a presence in the wider area such as Tiger Aspect and Babycow.
Digital Opportunities
Whilst there will still be demand for those with traditional TV and media sector skills, there will be emerging demand from media companies, especially those involved in the consumer markets, for people with skills in ‘big data’. The demand for those with ‘big-data’ skills will not be limited just to the media sector.
There are many small companies in Media City but also in locations such as the Sharp Building in East Manchester or in the Baltic Triangle in Liverpool, many of these small companies are in broader media occupations such as web and multi-media sectors. As these sectors have grown and evolved, new skills and aptitudes are increasingly in demand. An example of this is in the field of data analysis, or as it is increasingly being referred to as, ‘big-data’
There is increasing volumes of data generated from everyday life. This data is collected from peoples shopping habits, credit card records, social media sites and even phone records. This vast collection of data can be analysed by companies, so they can do things such as target marketing and advertising campaigns directly to people most likely to buy their product.
The use of vast streams of data can also be used for general public benefit. This can include helping the Police fight crime more successfully, improve targeting of health campaigns or reducing energy consumption.
Careers Box 8: Careers in the Digital Sector
The ideal skills mix for ‘big-data’ includes mathematics and statistics, computer science and graphic design. Whilst computer science is at the heart of careers in big-data, design, multi-media students and interactive arts skills are also very valuable.
Many of the careers in ‘big-data’ will be in specialist and often small companies. However, as the sector grows opportunities will increasingly be advertised on-line.
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Factsheet 6 Building and Maintaining new Infrastructure (road, rail, housing development)
Mersey Gateway
A new crossing of the River Mersey is to be constructed. It will comprise of a six lane highway. The bridge will be tolled, and will help ensure that there is good connectivity between North Cheshire and North Wales with the Liverpool City Region.
The bridge will be one of the largest civil engineering projects conducted in the North West, and the construction programme is expected to run between 2014 and 2018.
It is an example of one of the largest civil engineering projects currently being planned in the UK, and it will require a diverse range of specialist construction skills to enable it to be built. A number of examples of these skills is included in Box XX.
Careers Box X Career Opportunities in Civil Engineering
Major Civil Engineering projects such as this call on a wide range of technical and professional skills. An example of some of the skills a project such as this will utilise are;
Project Development This will include a business case for the project including expected economic benefits, environmental assessments, detailed surveying of proposed site, and initial designs and drawings and an outline project budget
Project Planning The initial designs will require detailed input from a range of specialists, including structural engineers and construction surveying. A project such as this is also likely to require detailed geotechnical engineering input.
Construction Engineering This involves the implementation of the project drawings and designs created by structural engineers, transport planners, geotechnical engineers. This phase will require Project Managers, who ensure that the project is being delivered to specification and within the allocated budget.
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Railway Infrastructure
The presence of a comprehensive rail network is vital to economic competitiveness. The wider Atlantic Gateway area sits at an important part of the national rail network. The West Coast mainline linking Glasgow to London runs through Warrington, and there are key lines connecting the west coast line to both Manchester and Liverpool. The area also sees the Trans-Pennine network which is the main east-west link for the north of England. In addition to this both Manchester and Liverpool have a comprehensive network of suburban rail services, and in the case of Manchester there is the rapidly expanding Manchester Metrolink tram network.
This extensive rail network needs constant modernisation, maintenance and updating. Some modernisation programmes are of a large scale, such as the plans to electrify the line between Liverpool and Manchester, which will be complete by December 2014. These type of upgrading projects will always require the input of railway engineers and electrical engineering disciplines, but the need to modify tunnels and bridges mean there is demand for structural engineers and other construction related disciplines. An example of a major upgrading project, the Northern Hub, is given below.
There are two specific projects have been highlighted as priorities for Atlantic Gateway, Northern Hub and High Speed Rail 2.
Northern Hub
The Northern Hub is one of the largest upgrading projects in the UK. It will tackle a wide rang of constraints, and the result of the investment should be the ability to run a further 700 more trains and to reduce journey times. The project has a total cost of £600m, and will see some of the following benefits;
Doubling the number of fast trains between Manchester and Liverpool
25% more trains on key trans-pennine routes
More direct connections to Manchester Airport
In terms of the wider benefits, businesses on both sides of the Pennines will be able to recruit from a wider pool of talent and their employees will be able to get to work quickly and easily. Business will also enjoy greater flexibility and access to bigger markets as capacity increases and journeys are more direct and quicker.
It will also mean that many more jobs and opportunities for commuting will start opening up, improving prospects both for those looking for jobs, and for those companies wanting to increase recruitment.
HS2
The Government recently ended its consultation period on HSR2 proposals for a wider rail network linking London, West Midlands, Manchester and Leeds. The £32bn Y-shaped network includes proposals which will reduce travelling times between Manchester and London and create significant additional capacity.
The Government are currently considering the location for a High Speed Rail College. The purpose of the College will be to provide the nation with the skills necessary to build a high-speed rail network.
Housebuilding
It is estimated that the UK needs to build 250,000 new homes per-annum just to keep up with demand, at the moment we build barely half that number. Whilst the greatest demand for housing is in London and the South East, all parts of the UK have shortfalls, and the cities of Liverpool and Manchester have been growing population, and Warrington has also seen strong growth.
It is likely that over the next ten years there will be on-going demand for new housing. Some of this housing will be in the form of flats or apartments, where some non-traditional construction methods will be required. There are proposals for large residential towers in both the Liverpool Waters and Wirral Waters schemes, and good examples of completed schemes on the Princess Dock in Liverpool Waters.
The issue of climate change is likely to continue to ensure that existing homeowners invest in improving the energy efficiency and performance of their own homes, whether this be by installing new energy efficient housing systems, improving installation or replacing windows and doors. These requirements will continue to create opportunities for people with skills in plumbing or fitting.
Careers Box X: Traditional Construction Trades
The on-going requirement to continue to build new houses will continue to support opportunities for those with skills in the traditional trades, these include
Bricklaying
Electricians
Carpenters
Roofers
There will also be emerging opportunities, as domestic houses contain ever greater numbers of communication equipment, the specialist fit-out of houses with ever more complex ICT will create new opportunities.
Likewise the traditional housing stock in the region will both require maintenance, environmental enhancement and renovation. This will maintain demand for those with traditional craft related trades.
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Commercial Development
There will continue to be demand for new office, warehouse, factory, leisure and retail development.
New office development will be required as existing offices become obsolescent and increasingly energy inefficient. There will be opportunities connected with the construction of new offices, and these will often be non-traditional. Modern offices often have no brickwork, are often constructed of steel and glass, and increasingly the ‘fit-out’ of the new offices is ever more complex, as occupiers have more complex ICT requirements. Acoustic engineers, heating and lighting specialists, broadband and ICT fit out, space planners, architects, dry liners, steel fitters are among the trades associated with the construction of new offices.
New office development will occur at different speeds in different locations over the next decade (it is very much dependent upon demand from occupiers), areas such as Manchester City Centre, Salford Quays, Liverpool City Centre, Birchwood Park in Warrington, Airport City Manchester, Wirral Waters and Liverpool Waters are all locations where new larger scale office may be constructed.
As with residential development, there will be many opportunities associated with the refurbishment of existing offices, often to bring forward new heat and cooling systems, new ICT infrastructure and general modernisation programmes.
New hotel, leisure and retail facilities are also likely to be a part of the mix of future development in the wider Atlantic Gateway area. Higher specification modern hotels, in common with new offices, require ever more complex ‘fit-out’ programmes, to enable rooms to provide up-to-date communication technologies and to enable increased automation of services. It is not possible to predict exactly where new hotel development will occur, but in general the key city centres have proven strong markets, and budget chains have continued to expand close to important road networks, as well as in in-town locations.
New distribution and logistics facilities will continue to be constructed over the next ten years, possibly at a much increased pace. The construction programmes for these types of building are nowhere near as complex as new offices, they are often referred to as ‘sheds’. They will require input from a number of trades, including steel fixers and cladding specialists, often they require new road infrastructure to be constructed.
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