The High Tide Cadetship is after-school programme that was designed to introduce young people to the world of work around the port, and ran over 8 consecutive weeks. During the course, the Cadets visited a variety of different sites around Teesport, including Casper Shipping’s offices in Middlesbrough, Asda’s Teesport Distribution Centre and David Fox Transport in Grangetown, as well as the port’s Conservancy Department and Tees Dock itself.

This is the second cohort of youngsters to complete the Cadetship this year. In addition to celebrating the completion of the Cadetship, the event recognised a group of eleven students from schools across Teesside had the chance to spend two days in Rotterdam. They got to see first-hand how one of the busiest ports in the world operates, as well as gaining an understanding of the many varied roles available in the maritime industry as a whole.

High Tide’s chairman, Kevin Shakesheff, commented on the evening: “It was brilliant to see so many supporters of the Foundation together celebrating the achievements of these students. We are so proud of how far we’ve come this year and we hope that next year we can progress further and provide more for the young people on Teesside.”

During the event, the students had a chance to speak about what they took away from their experience and how it will influence them going forward. They were each presented with a certificate to show their participation by the individuals from the member companies who helped to put these schemes together.

A parent of one of the participants that went to Rotterdam said: “I was so pleased that he enjoyed the trip and I hope that visits like this take place again for other students as it is great experience for them as it was for Louis. Louis learnt a lot from the visit and now wants a career in the steel work industry.”