Yorkshire Coast Businesses Urged To Join New Maritime And Renewables Cluster

A new initiative aiming to connect businesses and education providers across the maritime and offshore renewables sector is launching across the Yorkshire Coast from Monday.

Opportunities in the maritime and renewable energy sectors will be opened up to local businesses through a newly formed county-wide cluster.

The North Yorkshire Maritime and Renewables Cluster is launching this September to connect businesses, education providers, and investors across the region.

Organisers are establishing the initiative to maximise the economic benefits of the emerging clean energy economy. They are seeking input from businesses on the ground to determine where to target their efforts.

A series of launch events will be hosted across the Yorkshire Coast, including sessions in Whitby, Scarborough, and Filey, as well as an inland meeting in Northallerton and a virtual webinar.

The cluster aims to ensure that the region capitalises on the huge opportunities developing in the offshore renewables sector. By bringing together industry and education, the group hopes to align local skills provision with the needs of emerging clean energy businesses.

The meetings are open to port operators, offshore wind developers, supply chain businesses, and skills providers. Colleagues working across secondary, further, and higher education are also being encouraged to attend.

Project lead Richard Askam explained the timing of the new initiative.

"With Dogger Bank, the wind farm, biggest wind farm in the world coming on stream this year, the opportunity is now for the North Yorkshire area, particularly the coast, but not uniquely the coast. And we're not behind yet, we're literally all arriving at the start line at the same time. I think the most important thing that I've learned over the last three or four months that I've been on the ground is how many businesses identify with the maritime and renewable sector, but aren't necessarily connected to each other, which I always think is quite a shame when you've got such a connected county, that businesses can exist in isolation. So one of the jobs of the cluster is to bring those businesses together. And then of course, as we all know, there's strength in numbers in terms of taking advantage of the opportunity."

The initiative is currently looking for new members to join and volunteers to form a board. This board will drive the strategic direction of the cluster and deliver on the aims of the group.

Organisers hope to hear from anyone who can offer their views, expertise, or time to help build the organisation.

Mr Askam said the geographical position of the county presents a unique advantage:

"The urgency really is the fact that Dogger Bank is coming on stream this year in Grimsby, which is where my experience comes from. 10 years ago, there was the, is this ever going to happen sort of talk, and then it did, and then here we are 10 years on and it's a very vibrant sector as it is also for the Tees. North Yorkshire sits right between those two opportunities, so it's important to make sure that we're connected, not only across the county, but also to the one above and the one below as as well. Because this is a global opportunity, it's not just a local opportunity, but you need to start with getting the people on board, making sure that their children understand that these opportunities are out there so that when they're studying at school or at college, they're studying the right things and really making the opportunities obvious to people."

During each launch event, attendees will hear about the vision and mission for the cluster, alongside opportunities for collaboration across the county.

The first meetings will take place on Monday the 14th of September. A session at Whitby Library will begin at 11am, which will be followed by a tour of the Whitby Maritime Hub. A second meeting will follow at 3pm at the Scarborough UTC.

On Tuesday the 15th of September, the Evron Centre in Filey will host an 11am session, before a 3pm meeting at the Evolution Business Centre in Northallerton.

A final online webinar is scheduled for 11am on Wednesday the 16th of September for those unable to attend in person.

Those wishing to attend are required to book their tickets in advance through the organisation's website.