The Ortus team, whilst at TBR, supported Sunderland University to assess the potential demand for and impact of planned investment in developing its offer in the field of advanced manufacturing and engineering. The study involved delivering a demand assessment which estimated the scale of demand for a range of courses, facilities hire and services, gathering evidence from stakeholders regarding potential delivery models and evaluating potential sites for new capital investment. We made recommendations to senior staff regarding a range of options for the location and design of new facilities and educational offers.
Specific project objectives included:
- Produce a sector mapping exercise covering advanced manufacturing in Sunderland and the NELEP area (compared to the UK).
- Generate estimates of the demand for labour and skills arising from the advanced manufacturing sector in the next 10 years.
- Comment on the relevance of activities in the North East LEP and Tees Valley Unlimited LEP area.
- Produce a sector mapping report containing key evidence and findings.