The graduation ceremony, which was held at Ryehills School in Redcar (14 Oct), follows the successful completion of a two-week work experience programme for 12 school leavers from Redcar.

The scheme was launched to help young people leaving school gain an understanding of life in the work place, as well as the variety of career choices available in port related businesses on Teesside.

Through High Tide’s collaborative approach with different employers around Teesport, the two-week long scheme saw each young person spend time with two different companies. The companies included Agility Logistics, Bond Dickinson, Casper Shipping, Cory Shipping, David Fox Transport, Denholm Wilhelmsen, PD Ports, Sabic and Tata Steel.

A particular highlight for four young people was the opportunity to experience life on a working container ship with local based shipping line, Containerships Ltd Oy.  The eleven day round trip to St Petersburg via Rotterdam, Riga and Helsinki, illustrated how important cargoes are imported and exported around the world.

The trip enabled the young people to observe the daily duties experienced by crew members, as well as spending some free time taking in the sights in Rotterdam, Riga and Helsinki.

Laura Becker from Redcar spoke of her trip to St Petersburg, adding: “It was amazing.  I learned so much.   We went to some beautiful places and the crew were very nice.    I would definitely recommend for others in the future to be given the same opportunity.”

David Robinson, High Tide Trustee and CEO, PD Ports, said: “We are delighted to see some of our young people in the region being given unique opportunities to experience very real and engaging work placements. High Tide is founded on the principles of engagement and collaboration both with young people and connected private sector businesses on and around the River Tees.

“The summer scheme is the first significant output from the High Tide Foundation and we aim to create many more like it.  With so many of today’s young people lacking the necessary skills and knowledge to help support them on a fruitful career path, High Tide aims to open the minds of young people, raising their aspirations and providing real employment opportunities.”

Michael Shakesheff, managing director, Casper Shipping Limited, commented: “We were delighted to be a sponsor of the first cohort of High Tide students this summer. It gave us a fantastic chance to not only showcase the possibilities on and around the River Tees but also the wider marine sector which has played and will continue to play a vital role in the success of the North East economy.”

Uniquely, the High Tide summer scheme was aimed at young school leavers who hadn’t had any previous work experience, and who wouldn’t otherwise have had access to these opportunities directly.