The Great Exhibition of the North will be the largest event in England this summer and a game-changing time for the North. The 80-day Exhibition will reveal to the world how great art and culture, design and innovation from across the region has shaped our lives and is building the economy of tomorrow.

Showcasing the incredible strengths in design, technology, energy and health from across the whole of the North, the Great Exhibition provides a platform and an opportunity for the Northern business community to come together in NewcastleGateshead, share ambitions and raise aspirations amongst the next generation.

As part of the Great Exhibition of the North, the Business Summit held in the week commencing July 2 will be a celebration of Northern innovation, showcasing what’s new and highlighting forthcoming opportunities – through exhibits, interactive knowledge sharing, networking, presentations and workshops.

The Great Exhibition aims to inspire the next generation
of inventors
The Great Exhibition aims to inspire the next generation of inventors

The Business Summit will bring together businesses from multiple sectors and at all scales – alongside universities and skills providers, business support networks, entrepreneurs, investors and policy-makers – to support and promote start-ups and scale-ups. It will also profile and celebrate brilliant and bold Northern innovations of the past, present and future.

There are a variety of opportunities for businesses to get involved in the Great Exhibition of the North:

  • Events aligned to the themes of art and culture, design and innovation are invited to become part of the Inspired By programme
  • Bars, restaurants and cafés across NewcastleGateshead are encouraged to develop Northern menus and showcase the very best of the North’s food and drink producers
  • The chance to become an advocate for the Great Exhibition of the North and join a cast of a thousand volunteers helping to enhance the visitor experience
  • To roll out the red carpet and provide the legendary Geordie welcome through special offers and exciting experiences that will encourage visitors to stay longer

More details can be found at getnorth2018.com

Join the cast of a thousand volunteers
Join the cast of a thousand volunteers

Children and young people will be encouraged to explore new opportunities and maximise their potential through an inspiring schools programme. From volunteering and school visits, to creative competitions, STEM related activities, and a suite of classroom resources for early years through to those making career choices, the Great Exhibition aims to inspire the next generation of inventors, coders, designers, scientists and artists.

A highlight of the schools’ programme is the Little Inventors North 2030 Challenge, which gives children aged 4-12 the chance to design their own inventions and have a team of makers, designers, artists and manufacturers bring it to real life at the Great Exhibition of the North. Details can be found at getnorth.littleinventors.org

Little Inventors North 2030 Challenge
Little Inventors North 2030 Challenge

Sarah Stewart OBE, chief executive of the lead delivery partner for the Great Exhibition of the North, NewcastleGateshead Initiative said: “Great Exhibition of the North will profile many of the innovative companies working in the North today and highlight the fantastic career opportunities on offer, particularly in the STEM sector.

“Whilst the Great Exhibition itself is 80 days long, it will leave a legacy that will help change negative perceptions of the North, boost investment and encourage the next generation to explore exciting careers in the North of England.”

The fleet of 65 Virgin Azuma trains will transform train travel along Virgin’s east coast route
The fleet of 65 Virgin Azuma trains will transform train travel along Virgin’s east coast route

'Exhibition will flaunt our creative flair' - David Horne, managing director, Virgin Trains

The Great Exhibition of the North will provide tremendous opportunities to recognise and celebrate the major contribution that the region makes to design and innovation. At Virgin Trains we recognise this contribution, and we’re excited about welcoming those people coming to the exhibition onboard our trains.

Beyond transporting people to the region, we’ll be playing an important role in demonstrating just how creative and innovative the North of England is.

Our new Azuma trains, which will be introduced from December 2018, are being made by Hitachi at their rail vehicle manufacturing facility in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham – meaning the Virgin Trains fleet is being made on the East Coast for the East Coast.

We’ll be bringing Azuma to the exhibition as an example of how design and innovation can transform customer experience, and the careers of those who will work on these trains.

The fleet of 65 Virgin Azuma trains will transform train travel along Virgin’s east coast route, which connects Scotland and the North with the capital, by providing more services, and faster and more comfortable journeys.

We hope that by talking about the region’s strengths in innovation and enterprise at the Great Exhibition of the North, we can encourage others to consider careers in businesses that contribute to the region’s success.

People are at the very heart of our business, from driving trains, to helping customers, and maintaining our fleet, and we’re committed to supporting the communities that our east coast route serves.

Our drive to recruit drivers for our new Azuma trains saw 15,000 applications for 78 jobs, which shows just how passionate the UK is about rail. The newly appointed drivers are being put through their paces ahead of the introduction of the new trains later this year. Throughout the year-long training programme, the trainees take part in a range of classroom-based and practical tasks at different locations on the East Coast route, including modules such as track safety, understanding operational route risks and emergency situations, and getting to know the train they will be driving.

Since the new trains make use of the latest technology, it’s only right that we apply new technology in training our new drivers. The future drivers will also have access to a Virgin Trains’ desk simulator especially created to replicate the Azuma cabin. This will help familiarise them with train-handling and the inside of the cab in a safe and secure environment, before they take charge of some of the most cutting-edge trains on the UK network.

This example is just one of many. Companies across the UK are harnessing the innovation and creativity of the region – and we’re proud to be one of those supporting the Great Exhibition.

BAE Systems instructor and apprentice
BAE Systems instructor and apprentice

BAE Systems - Premier partner of the Great Exhibition

BAE Systems is pleased to be part of the Great Exhibition of the North celebrating the products, talent and technology to come from the North of England.

As one of the largest engineering employers in the country, it is a company proud of its presence in the North of England with more than 18,000 employees based in the region, more than half its UK workforce. These roles span across the air, sea, land and cyber security sectors from sites in the North West, Barrow-In-Furness, Yorkshire and Washington, Tyne & Wear.

Chris Boardman, group managing director, BAE Systems Air said: “We’re very proud to be part of the Great Exhibition of the North which celebrates the skills, products and contribution made in the North.

"Our sites and highly skilled workforce in the North of England lead on the delivery of some of the largest and most technically advanced engineering and manufacturing projects in the world.”

Being part of The Great Exhibition that celebrates engineering products and innovations from the North of England is a great way of connecting and engaging with a large audience and inspiring the next generation of engineers. Throughout the event, BAE Systems will be involved in a number of activities that help to promote STEM and engineering and celebrate past, present and future products designed, built and manufactured in the North.

In 2017, the company took on over 800 graduates and apprentices across the UK and had over 2,000 graduates and apprentices in training. Many of these roles begin and lead to further opportunities in the North of England. A range of entry opportunities are available including apprenticeships (at all levels), the graduate development framework and direct entry to specific roles. The award-winning apprentice programme combines practical training in a job with studying for a qualification. Each programme is designed to meet the specific needs of the job. They may include engineering and manufacturing; aircraft maintenance and support; project management; business administration; IT and cyber security.

The Graduate Development Framework (GDF) is a two-year scheme post-graduate scheme with two pathways: Business and Engineering. The scheme combines formal learning with real challenges across a number of placements. Find out more about careers and opportunities across the UK and beyond here.

Every year the company spends £90 million to promote STEM skills in schools and to train its early careers workforce. Being part of the Great Exhibition of the North is an important part of the company’s strategy to invest in the local community and attract future talent from the North.

2018 is also The Year of Engineering in the UK – a campaign to celebrate the variety and creativity of engineering and improve understanding of what engineers do and the difference they make to people’s lives. Throughout the year, the Government, along with partners in industry and education, will showcase inspirational examples of engineering in all sectors. The Great Exhibition of the North is an ideal platform to support the campaign which can be followed online at www.yearofengineering.gov.uk and on twitter via #YoE and #takeacloserlook