NETA isn’t the kind of place you are going to find balloons and cake.

That’s not to say, between the sparks and the pipework, the rigging and the safety goggles, we aren’t noting the occasion.

This year marks 40 years in business for us from our Teesside base. It's an achievement we are very proud of.

And whilst we may not look like a place that’s celebrating, that’s just the way it is at NETA, it's the NETA way.

There’s no fuss, no hype, it’s just about getting the job done and that's probably part of the secret to our success. That and a team of instructors and assessors with hundreds of years of trade experience between them.

Expertise is what NETA is built on – it was launched that way.

Opening its doors in October 1975 the training centre was the result of a need for further engineering and construction skilled labour in the area.

Local engineering giants approached the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board and, working hand-in-hand with local employers, NETA was formed as a charitable group training association specialising in trades such as pipefitting, welding, steel erecting, plating and mechanical fitting.

By the mid-80s NETA had added electrical, instrumentation, domestic and industrial gas training, to its offer and was one of only three training centres in the country delivering the national apprenticeship scheme for engineering and construction.

Expanding in 1991 with the purchase of the building next door 1994 saw the creation of its scaffolding centre. And in 2000 NETA acquired its Billingham site.

In four decades of business thousands of apprentices have passed through our doors and many thousands more workers have developed their skills by undertaking highly specialised and often bespoke courses through its centres.

Merged with Stockton Riverside College in August 2015, today NETA continues to deliver on its original purpose - that is to provide training that directly responds to employers’ needs and helps create skilled workforces. It’s all about building real skills for real jobs in a real working environment.

Thank you for being on this journey with us.

Engineering Training - the NETA Way.