Essential Economic Development
A Foundation Course for Local and Regional Economic Development
17 lessons, 2.5 hours. Learn the fundamentals of local and regional economic development for free.
Access the course via our community learning site. Or subscribe via email to get a daily lesson emailed directly to you.
Access via our community learning site:
Access the course via our community learning site here. The 17 lessons are structured as follows:
1. Rationale for Local and Regional Economic Development
2. Overview of themes and functions
3. Understanding economics and economic trends
4. Megatrends
5. Theory of Economic Development
6. Policy
7. Strategy
8. Intelligence & insight
9. Industrial development & clusters
10. Enterprise & entrepreneurship
11. Inward investment / FDI
12. Labour markets
13. Education & skills
14. Economic Participation, Employability and Unemployment
15. Poverty & inequality
16. Place & infrastructure
17. Low carbon, climate change & sustainability
Register here to get free access to the Foundation course’s 17 lessons
Email course: Register below for your 17-Daily lessons by email
Combined Authorities (England): Second international firm chooses Liverpool for its European HQ
Source: Combined Authorities (England) Author: unknown Date published: 2026-01-30 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] A second major international company has chosen the city of Liverpool for its first European headquarters. On Thursday, it was...
SmartCitiesWorld News: How UK councils can scale up local energy programmes
Source: SmartCitiesWorld News Author: SmartCitiesWorld news team Date published: 2026-01-30 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] How UK councils can scale up local energy programmes As the UK shifts to a cleaner, more renewables-led energy...
Combined Authorities (England): How ‘Manchesterism’ could change the UK
Source: Combined Authorities (England) Author: theweek@futurenet.com (Justin Klawans, The Week US) Date published: 2026-01-29 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] Some politicians in the United Kingdom hope a growing movement in the city of...
Bloomberg CityLab: Manchester Shows What UK Economic Revival Can Look Like
Source: Bloomberg CityLab Author: Jacob Reid Date published: 2026-01-29 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] “They just thought it was a bunch of cocky Mancunians talking bullshit,” says Jim O’Neill, the former Treasury minister and Goldman...
Combined Authorities (England): National Wealth Fund strategic plan to catalyse £100bn into infrastructure and supply chain
Source: Combined Authorities (England) Author: Thomas Johnson Date published: 2026-01-28 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] The UK’s National Wealth Fund (NWF) has unveiled a five‑year strategic plan that promises to deploy the remainder of...
Combined Authorities (England): North East business uses grant to help employees adapt to new tech
Source: Combined Authorities (England) Author: gengelbrecht@newsquest.co.uk | Gavin Engelbrecht Date published: 2026-01-28 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] The Made Smarter Adoption North East programme, which helps small and medium-sized...
SmartCitiesWorld News: Singapore launches governance framework for agentic AI
Source: SmartCitiesWorld News Author: SmartCitiesWorld news team Date published: 2026-01-28 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] The Model AI Governance Framework for Agentic AI provides guidance on how to deploy agents responsibly, recommending...
SmartCitiesWorld News: Transport for London unveils five-year plan to cut congestion
Source: SmartCitiesWorld News Author: SmartCitiesWorld news team Date published: 2026-01-27 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] Transport for London unveils five-year plan to cut congestionA signal-controlled junction in Central London; TfL...
Combined Authorities (England): Northern Powerhouse Rail agreements on stations and capacity plans signed
Source: Combined Authorities (England) Author: unknown Date published: 2026-01-27 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] A potential underground Manchester Piccadilly station, pushing the case for a new Bradford station and improving capacity at...