MADE NE
MADE NE is an industry-led response to the critical skills gap in the North East's advanced manufacturing sector, with particular focus on EV and battery. We provide world-class, open-access training and industrial innovation facilities—co-designed by major employers—to upskill the current workforce and build a sustainable pipeline of future talent. Our mission is to ensure the region has the right people, with the right skills, at the right time to secure new investment and drive growth.
MADE NE will be the region's cornerstone for skills and industrial innovation; a self-sustaining hub where industry, education, and technology providers converge. By accelerating the adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies, we will power the North East's transition to electrification, solidify its status as a global investment destination, and create opportunity for all.
The North East's ambitious transition to electrification, led by major employers like Nissan and AESC, revealed a critical and growing skills gap in advanced manufacturing. The Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) identified this shortage as a significant barrier to new investment and sustainable growth.
In response, an industry-led consortium—including Nissan, AESC, and Vantec—partnered with education providers, employer representative bodies and local government and the North East Combined Authority. Together, they co-designed MADE NE to directly address this skills shortage with a world-class, industry-relevant training and innovation model.
This powerful collaboration became the flagship project of the region's new Investment Zone, and is supported by the North East Combined Authority. The £15 million MADE NE centre is the first tangible outcome of this £160 million, 10-year programme, designed to secure the region's future as a leader in advanced manufacturing and create thousands of skilled jobs.
MADE NE
Early Careers & Apprenticeships Lead
Advanced Manufacturing Lead
