Hundreds of new apprenticeships are set to come to Teesside after government funding was secured for a new training scheme.
Firms at Wilton will be the very first in the country to have complete freedom over how their apprentices are trained with government cash.
The bid was spearheaded by Sembcorp on behalf of the Wilton site, and is due to be finalised next month.
The bid leaders spoke exclusively to our Industrial Correspondent Rachel Bullock in this report below.
For the first time, new apprenticeships being launched on Teesside will be designed by the employer to provide the specific skills they need - and will be open to all ages.
Speaking exclusively to ITV news, George Ritchie from Sembcorp says that apprenticeships are vital for the industry's future:
Three hundred new apprenticeships are set to come to Teesside after the chemical industry was one of the first in the country to secure government funding for a pioneering training scheme in the North East.
Sembcorp at Wilton spearheaded the successful bid to become one of just 37 nationwide companies to offer the new scheme this Spring.
The three year apprenticeships will be tailor-made to meet the specific needs of the industry - which is one of the region's biggest employers.