Young people in Gateshead and Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, are being offered a new way to start careers in property, planning and construction through a local training event taking place in March 2026. Gateshead Council and Newcastle City Council have teamed up with the national social mobility charity Regeneration Brainery to launch the North East’s first ‘Brainery Week’. The five-day programme will run from 16–20 March 2026 and is aimed at young people aged 14 and over from the North East.
Participants will spend the week out of the classroom visiting live regeneration sites, including work on the Gateshead Old Town Hall project and other major schemes across Newcastle and Gateshead. They will meet professionals from industry partners including Bellway Homes and Avison Young and hear about a range of roles — from architecture and planning to property law — that underpin the built environment. The programme aims to help local people build the skills needed to take on new roles created by large town-centre developments.
Councillor Martin Gannon, Leader of Gateshead Council, said the programme brings young people ‘right to the heart of the projects reshaping our town centre’, helping them see real pathways into meaningful careers and ensuring local talent can play a leading role in the borough’s future. Newcastle City Council is a partner in delivering the week, and Invest Newcastle has also promoted the initiative across the region.
Regeneration Brainery has previously run Brainery Weeks and similar outreach programmes in other UK cities — including Manchester and London — as part of a wider national programme that also operates in cities such as Bristol, Leeds and Liverpool. The North East event is intended to address skills shortages in the property and construction sectors by giving participants direct mentoring, soft-skills coaching and practical advice on applying for jobs, apprenticeships and further training.
Anyone interested in taking part can find more information on the Regeneration Brainery website or contact the organisers directly. Schools and local youth groups are being used as primary recruitment routes; specific application deadlines and the full sign-up process are provided by Regeneration Brainery on its site or via its contact email.
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