July 2018 sees the start of celebrations to mark The Work Place’s first 10 years in business. Opening in July 2008, the business has gone from strength to strength in that time.
‘A little gem’ is how it is often described. A first class conferencing and training venue with state of the art facilities, The Work Place is perfect for training, interviews, seminars and networking, as well as meetings and conferences. Located on Aycliffe Business Park, just off the A1, it is tucked away behind a row of trees which hides its beauty, yet over 100,000 people have visited the venue over the last ten years.
‘It’s a fantastic, building and, with our small but dedicated team providing excellent customer service, we really do think the Work Place is the ideal place to be’ says Business Manager Angela Wilkinson.
The Work Place is a result of the vision of Jane Ritchie (MBE) who established the business after inheriting a large sum of money in 2005. Now based in North Yorkshire, Miss Ritchie, was awarded an MBE for her services to Durham Education Business Partnership, before unexpectedly inheriting a massive £9m by her cousin Margery Freeman after she passed away at the age of 100. Spending only £150 on herself to buy a wedding hat and a rhubarb forcer, Jane wanted to invest in people. She set up two charities, the Vocational Learning Trust which aims to support learning for young people and The Work Place, a not for profit organisation.
Ten years on, Jane’s vision to support learning for young people continues. Each year Durham Constabulary and Durham & Darlington Fire Service spend two months at The Work Place hosting learning events for primary and secondary schools in County Durham.
The Work Place also offers others strands to the business. The centre is registered with Qualsafe and Highfield to deliver quality training courses including Emergency First Aid, First Aid at Work, Fire Warden Training, Food Safety Training, Paediatric First Aid, Mental Health (Youth) First Aid and more.
The office accommodation at The Work Place is also proving to be more in demand each year. The Work Place is already home to Durham County Council and Durham Secondary Schools Centered Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) Programme and more new tenants moving in during Summer 2018.
The building looks as fresh as the day it opened. Jane is delighted by the success of the last ten years, commenting ‘I’m very proud of The Work Place, it’s a brilliant building and the plan is to keep on going’.
To celebrate 10 years in business, The Work Place will have a number of offers available over the next few months.
The Work Place is also hosting a 10th Anniversary Celebration afternoon from 2pm-4pm on Friday, 14 September, for clients and local businesses. Please email julie.turnbull@twpa.org.uk if you would like more information/invitation.
