Local context
An industrial region that now builds technology too
The North East takes in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham and the Tees Valley, with two combined authorities covering most of it. It is a compact region by English standards, yet it holds two World Heritage Sites, Hadrian's Wall and Durham Castle and Cathedral, alongside some of the country's most concentrated heavy industry. Its rivers, the Tyne, the Wear and the Tees, still shape where the work is done.
Invest North East England describes a worldwide reputation for subsea and offshore technology, pipeline and trenching services and fabrication for energy projects, with the ports of Blyth, Sunderland and Tyne linking the region to the North Sea. The North East Investment Zone builds on that, naming Blyth Energy Central, the River Tyne Economic Corridor, the International Advanced Manufacturing Strategic Site in Sunderland and South Tyneside, and NETPark in County Durham as its sites.
Less visible from the coast road is the region's software economy. Sage, Atom Bank, Bede Gaming, Tharsus and tombola are all headquartered in the North East according to the regional investment agency, and studios such as Ubisoft Reflections work here too. That mix of engineering suppliers and digital firms means a typical brief from the region can range from a contractor's inspection records to a subscription product built by a former games developer.