Become a Founder Member of Economic Development World
[If you are looking for the 17-day foundation course by email – you can register for it here]
The Founder Member Offer
Shape the community and the lessons and resources we develop
✓ Try for free
✓ 15 hours of on-demand courses
✓ Practical workbooks
✓ Community, chatrooms, discussion
✓ First 3 months: 3 x Monthly 1-to-1 Mentoring Session; 1 x Career Planning Session
✓ First 12 months: Exclusive Founder Member workshops
✓ Year 1: 67% off annual membership
Join in first quarter of 2026
Help shape the community
HOW IT WORKS
STEP 1: Register to get joining instructions
Register on the form above. We’ll send you joining instructions
STEP 2: Start Learning (Day 1)
Immediate access to all Navigator tier content plus book your first 1-to-1 with Glenn.
STEP 3: Join Founder Workshops (Week 1)
First fortnightly workshop within 7 days of launch.
Founder Member Benefits
Immediate access to 10+ hours of on-demand courses across 8 economic development disciplines
Foundation knowledge; Policy, strategy and intelligence; Enterprise, industry and innovation; Employment and skills; Inclusion, poverty and inequality; Place, infrastructure and real estate; Climate and sustainability; Executive toolkit.
1-to-1 sessions and workshops
3x 1-to-1 sessions with Glenn. Monthly Workshop with Glenn and other Founder Members.
Locked in savings over 5 years
Save £200 in Year 1
Lock in Year 2-5 pricing at £195 (save another £200)
10% off if you upgrade to Practitioner or Expert tiers; Discounts on Masterclasses
Combined savings over 2 years: £400-600+
Preferential access to online events
You will be in the first tier to register to attend online events. Full access to the podcast archive.
Complete template library (business cases, logic models, stakeholder maps)
Access to all the workbooks and guidance resources that go with the courses.
On demand learning
Learn what you want, when you want it. Got a meeting about FDI, and don’t know much about it? take our 10 minute foundational course or 1 hour introductory course to get you up to speed!
What You Get as a Founder Member
IMMEDIATE ACCESS (When We Launch):
- 15 hours of on-demand courses across 8 ED disciplines
- Complete template library (strategy templates, how to guides, audits and assessments, business case template)
- Community discussion forums with fellow founding members and other membership tiers
- Monthly live Q&A sessions
EXCLUSIVE FOUNDER BENEFITS:
- Month 1: Personal guidance 1-to-1 session; 1x career development planning session
- Months 2 & 3: 2x 1-to-1 mentoring and guidance sessions
- Every 2 months: Founder Members Meet Up and Workshop
- Influence the community’s direction and future course content
Why become a founder member?
- Shape the Community
As a founding member, you’ll have direct input into:
- Content priorities
- Course topics
- Community features
- Event formats
Your voice will be heard first and loudest.
- Exceptional Value
Year 1 at £95 is less than the cost of a single conference ticket, but you get:
- Year-round learning
- Expert guidance from Glenn
- Peer network of 20 committed professionals
- Complete ED training library
- Direct Access to Glenn
Three 45-minute 1-to-1 sessions over 3 months means:
- Get unstuck on specific challenges
- Strategic career advice
- Navigate complex stakeholder situations
- Build your professional development plan
This level of access won’t be available again.
- Build Your Network
The first 20 members will form a tight-knit cohort. These relationships often become:
- Bi-monthly Founder Members Meet-up
- Your go-to advice network
- Collaboration partners
- Career opportunities
- Lifelong professional friendships
- Lock in Lifetime Savings
Your Year 2 and 3 rate of £195 is guaranteed. As the community grows and adds more value, standard pricing will increase. You’ll always pay less.
Who this is for
This founding membership is perfect if you're:
✓ An economic development officer, manager, or director in local, city or regional government
✓ Working in a Combined Authority, Local Authority, Metropolitan Authority, Development Agency, Consultancy, Think Tanks, or similar organisation
✓ A consultant specialising in economic development
✓ New to ED and want comprehensive foundational training
✓ Experienced but lacking access to CPD and peer networks
✓ Committed to improving your practice and advancing your career
✓ Ready to invest in yourself and your professional development
This is NOT for you if:
✗ You’re just browsing and not ready to commit
✗ You want specialist content and insight highly relevant to your home nation (the content and context are UK-specific, but international practitioners are welcome)
✗ You work in an unrelated field
✗ You’re looking for a quick fix rather than sustained professional and personal development
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why only 20 Founder Members?
A: This ensures Glenn can provide meaningful 1-to-1 time with each member and the workshop groups remain intimate enough for deep discussion. Quality over quantity.
Q: What if I can’t make all the group / workshop sessions?
A: 1-to-1 sessions can be rescheduled. Workshops will be recorded for founder members who can’t attend live.
Q: Can my employer pay for this?
A: Yes! £95 is well within most CPD discretionary budgets. We can provide a membership and course brochure pdf to help you get it signed off as well as full invoices.
Q: What happens after Year 1?
A: You’ll have the option to renew at your guaranteed £195 rate (vs £395 standard). Entirely your choice.
Q: What if I want to upgrade to the Practitioner or Expert tier (click here for the membership tiers explained)?
A: You’ll get 10% off those tiers for life as a Founder Member. You can upgrade anytime.
Q: What’s included in “1-to-1s” with Glenn?
A: Up to 45 minutes of focused time every month for 3 months. Bring your challenges, career questions, strategic dilemmas. It’s your time to use as needed.
Q: When exactly does the community launch?
A: 01 December 2025. You’ll get 7 days notice before launch date is confirmed.
Q: What if I join the waitlist but don’t get Founder Member status?
A: You’ll be first in line for standard Navigator membership (£295) and we’ll give you a consolation 10% discount code.
Q: Is this just for senior practitioners?
A: Not at all! Founder Members range from recent graduates to Heads of Service. All experience levels welcome.
Q: What makes you qualified to teach this, Glenn?
A: 30+ years in UK economic development, strategic advisor to multiple local authorities, PhD in economic development, and I’ve been asking “why doesn’t this community exist?” for years. Now I’m building it.
Our Clients are Superfans
“Glenn delivers high quality advice and insights based on years of experience with no fuss, he just delivers the results you need.”
“
“Glenn’s work is highly professional, demonstrating a very high level of stakeholder management, workshop and facilitation skills.”
Local London
“Glenn is an uber-consultant, a cut above the rest.”
UK Innovation Corridor
“Glenn, Mike and Hannah delivered us a high quality and locally focused employment, careers and skills strategy and action plan that allows us to take our approach and reputation for skills to the next level.”
Upjohn Research: Early Learning Across Decades: Advances in Measuring Head Start Effectiveness
Source: Upjohn Research Author: Chloe Gibbs Date published: 2026-02-17 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] View original article at:
Econ Dev Show Podcast – Economic Development: Economic Development 209: Building a Cross-Border Economic Engine with Heath Vescovi-Chiordi
Source: Econ Dev Show Podcast - Economic Development Author: unknown Date published: 2026-02-16 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] Social Network Quick Links View original article at:
Regional Economies: India has highest level of AI skill penetration, adopted policy of avoiding over-regulation: Jitin Prasada
Source: Regional Economies Author: unknown Date published: 2026-02-16 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] New Delhi, Feb 16 (PTI) India has the highest level of artificial intelligence (AI) skill penetration and has adopted a policy approach of...
Combined Authorities (England): Could Manchester be a model for the UK to kickstart growth?
Source: Combined Authorities (England) Author: unknown Date published: 2026-02-15 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] Manchester is known for its music scene [Getty Images] There is a buzz around Manchester that is difficult to truly understand...
Local Growth and the United Kingdom: Scotland’s councils face £42m cut after UK Government changes Brexit cash rules
Source: Local Growth and the United Kingdom Author: andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth Date published: 2026-02-14 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] However, while around 70% of the UKSPF in Scotland could be spent on resource...
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗩𝗶𝗲𝘄: 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀
Political pronouncements don't shift markets unless they are backed by tangible co-investment, legislation, incentives, changes to tax codes and/or demand stimulus This is the first article in a regular weekly series, where I reflect on a common issue that I see a lot...
Free Executive Track Course in February: Poverty, Inclusion and Inequality
We've just made the Executive Track course module on poverty, inclusion and inequalities free on ourCPD site - which can be accessed by joining with the free membership 𝙀𝙭𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙧 tier at https://www.economicdevelopment.world/joinThis 1 h course includes a workbook to...
Best Practice Supporting Industries and Clusters
The book I'm launching next month - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 - is packed with practical advice and case studies. Here's a sample of what's in the book regarding industrial clusters...The UK has oscillated between active industrial strategy...
Regional Economies: Europe surges, US stumbles, China cools: EV sales dip in 2026
Source: Regional Economies Author: Michelle Lewis Date published: 2026-02-13 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] The new MG4 EV Urban (left) and 2026 MG4 EV (Source: MG Motor) 1.2 million EVs were sold globally in January – but the market...








