CPD, training and skills in Local and Regional Economic Development
- 15 hours of on-demand courses covering the 8 disciplines of local and regional economic development
- Practical workbooks (e.g. FDI from scratch; develop a great project idea)
- Community, chatrooms, discussion
- Mentoring support
- Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
- Training and skills for economic development practitioners
- For less than the price of a conference, you get a year’s membership
Start here:
Develop Your Skills in Local and Regional Economic Development With Online Tutorials, Briefings and Workbooks
15 hours of courses; 17 workbooks
Initial Focus on Professional Training for Executives With 0-5 Years of Experience
Resources for more experienced executives will be launched May 2026
Founder Membership Available Offering Mentoring and Coaching
Click on the button below to access
Testimonials and Team
Glenn (BA, MA, PhD) has 31 years of experience in local, city and regional economic development and regeneration.
This includes executive leadership, project development and leadership, area visioning programmes, leading partnerships, and economic analysis and insight.
Glenn has held senior roles at Futureskills Scotland, London Development Agency, Centre for Cities, The East of England Development Agency, and Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough LEP.
Glenn also heads up a consultancy practice at Mylocaleconomy; and contributes to the Local Skills Improvement Partnership.
"A Fabulous Resource For Our Industry"
“A big shout out to Glenn Athey who has taken his many years in economic development consultancy and created Economic Development World (www.economicdevelopment.world), the UK’s first online community for local and regional economic development that provides CPD, on-demand lean learning, a community of peers and workbooks. Built on three pillars of accelerated learning, shared knowledge and community support, it is a fabulous resource for our industry. Have a look at Glenn’s video tour at: https://economicdevelopment.world/take-a-video-tour-of-economic-development-world/
“From what I have seen already, this has the potential to create a stepchange in how the UK delivers economic development, putting the skills and development of practitioners, whether newbies or old hands, front and centre.
“Get yourselves signed up, get involved and support this great initiative.”
CPD for local and regional economic develoment
A real live community with interaction, live events, expert Q&A and live cohorts of courses.
Flexible lean learning: learning and skills when you need them
You can access any course at any time, when you need it. Need to learn about FDI for your meeting next week? we’ve got it covered.
A free foundation course in Economic Development
A free 2-hour foundation course for those new to local and regional economic development.
Regular articles, tips, guides and industry news
Short form news and tips, and long-form expert reviews and guides.
A paid membership that includes all courses, resources and access to live content and webinars
Membership gets you access to 15+ hours of courses, that are being refined and expanded all the time – in response to your needs.
Mentoring and coaching
Structured mentoring programmes with specialist expert advisors and mentors.
7 Lessons for Enterprise and FDI Support from a Programme Review
A couple of years ago I helped a region review its approach to enterprise and business growth and inward investment promotion. One of my key observations was that - this region is renowned for being a tech and business success, but in reality this success was in a...
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Economic Development Agencies and Teams
Economic Development Agencies (EDAs) and Teams play a crucial role in fostering sustainable growth and improving quality of life. But what separates the truly impactful agencies and teams from the rest? Drawing on my Ph.D. research into what makes these...
Curious? A personal message from the founder
Hi Economic Developer! Curious? What is Economic Development World? My name is Glenn Athey - I've spent a career in local, city and regional economic development here in the UK. You might know me from my LinkedIn presence - where I write articles and posts every...
Workforce Skills Challenges for Local and Regional Economic Development
An Analysis of Skill Weaknesses and Professional Development Challenges in Local and Regional Economic Development Across Select Nations The skills challenge for economic development activities and services Economic development officers and managers serve as pivotal...
5 Ways in Which Economic Development Professionals’ Skills Will Have to Adapt in the Next 5 Years
As the global economic landscape is reshaped by rapid technological advancements, a heightened focus on sustainability and equity, and the increasing frequency of economic shocks, economic development professionals must significantly adapt their skills and knowledge...