Akram Follows In His Grandfather’s Footsteps To Help Transform Teesworks – And Urges Others To Join Him

A promising apprentice is helping shape huge Teesside projects on the very site where his grandfather once worked in the steel industry.

Akram Akhmed, 21, is an Apprentice Quantity Surveyor with AtkinsRéalis, based exclusively on the Teesworks site.

From Acklam, and a former Nunthorpe Academy student, he is now helping deliver billions of pounds of investment on the land where generations of Teessiders once earned a living.

And he has urged others to make the most of the opportunities here now and coming soon.

“Teesworks means a lot to my family, not just because this is where I started my career, but because this is where my family’s journey began, too,” said Akram.

Akram’s grandfather, Mohammed Aslam, came to Middlesbrough as a child. Mohammed’s uncle served for Britain during the Second World War – and the family came as the country looked to rebuild.

At just 16, Mohammed began work at Dorman Long, later joining British Steel after the Iron and Steel Act came to pass.

“He worked on some of the heaviest machinery on site at Steel House, Lackenby,” said Akram.

“He operated some of the hydraulic presses. He helped produce a lot of the steel for the rail infrastructure which helps connect Teesside to the rest of our nation.

“It also helped bolster the UK’s economy at the time.”

The site, once symbolic of Teesside’s industrial might, suffered a hammer blow as the steelworks closed in 2015.

It’s being reborn as part of the UK’s largest industrial regeneration programme at Teesworks – and Akram is right at the heart of it.

“There is a great sense of pride in it, to be honest. I did my A-Levels at Nunthorpe and stayed in the area. It’s carrying on that legacy,” he said.

“When my grandfather worked here, it was about building mega-projects and contributing to mega-structures around the world – if you go to the subcontinent, you find a lot of the railway lines have British Steel branding on there.

“It’s quite cool when you see that. There was a point in time where the steelworks were pulled down and that impacted a lot of families – the steelworks here provided people with a purpose and a means to look after their families.

“When that was taken away, a lot of people lost their livelihoods. It wasn’t a great time for Teesside – but we’re now part of something greater.”

Now in the third year of his apprenticeship, Akram supports the South Tees Development Corporation and wider Teesworks team offering commercial support to major projects, including Net Zero Teesside (NZT), the associated Park & Ride, the Steel River Bank Quay and the supporting infrastructure for SeAH Wind – the latter primed to be one of the biggest offshore wind manufacturing facilities in the world.

“One of the key projects which caught my eye was the Net Zero Teesside project. It’s providing almost £4bn of inward investment alone and thousands of jobs are being created,” he said.

“We’ve remediated the land for the NZT project. That is going to be the UK’s first Carbon Capture and Utilisation facility – and one of the world’s first to be operating.

“It’s a joint venture between bp and Equinor; the way CCUS works, we’ll take carbon from a traditional gas power plant, where the carbon is capture it, pump it, and store it under the North Sea (safely).

“That’s being done right here on Teesside and when I talk about that and mention that to people, there’s great pride in it.”

NZT Power begins construction in the coming months.

Akram also played a key role in one of the most complex demolition projects the country has ever seen — with the clearance of former steelworks, buildings and assets completed in less than three years.

“I’ve had quite a good bit of involvement in a lot of the projects in the programme,” he said.

“This is a fast-moving site and a fast-paced environment. It puts into perspective just how serious this work is.

“You see a lot of advertisements and messages elsewhere saying: ‘This is what we’re going to do’. On this site, we have, ‘This is what we’re going to do, and this is what has already happened.’

“It really helps people understand that process of growth and just how quickly it’s happening.”

Martin Corney, Chief Executive of Teesworks, said: “Akram represents exactly what Teesworks is about – reconnecting local people with opportunity.

“His story is a perfect example of what this regeneration means: honouring our past, empowering the present and building a better future.

“This site meant everything to the previous generation. Now, through young people like Akram, it means something new, and just as important – good jobs, better livelihoods and more opportunities.”

For Akram’s family, the journey from the steelworks of the past to the green energy hub of the future is coming full circle.

“He’s probably a little bit sad a lot of what he worked on, and is familiar with, is gone – but he’s optimistic of what is to come,” said Akram, of his grandfather.

“He’s proud when we move forward. Teesside has suffered a lot with the steelworks shutting. This gives people a buzz.

“He was very proud to take these photos and see some of the site – he’s enjoying retirement.”

And he urged others to grasp the new opportunities coming both now and in the near future.

“My advice to people is to look in your local area, see the opportunities and grab them because they are there,” he said.

“There was a narrative which has been around for a long time, that you have to go away to university, or go somewhere away from Teesside, because there are no opportunities. That’s changing.

“There are opportunities, and I would strongly encourage people to go online and have a look at what’s happening in their area.

“It shows they don’t need to move away or down south – there are opportunities here and AtkinsRéalis are a global organisation which utilises its local workforce.

“We know what it means for our people – it gives me a great sense of purpose and pride to come in and work here.”

“From the steel rails my grandad helped shape, to the clean energy infrastructure we’re helping build today – this land has always moved Teesside forward. I’m proud to be part of its next chapter.

“As Gladstone once said: ‘This remarkable place, the youngest child of England’s enterprise, is an infant, but if an infant, an infant Hercules.”