CPD, training and skills in Local and Regional Economic Development

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Expert knowledge, proven frameworks, and practical tools for local authority officers, consultants, and practitioners delivering regional growth strategies, innovation programmes, and place-based policy – built from 32 years of working in the field

Download the Course Prospectus
  • 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 and coaching support
  • Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
  • Skills and training in local and regional economic development
Cover image of the Local and Regional Economic Development Handbook

The Local and Regional Economic Development Handbook

The Practitioner’s Guide for Everyone Whose Work Shapes Places and Economies

Whether you work in planning, property, higher education, skills, government, or community development — the economic forces reshaping UK places are directly reshaping your work. And if you work in economic development itself, you’ve never had a handbook like this one.

The Local & Regional Economic Development Handbook is the comprehensive, honest, practitioner-authored guide to how local economies work, why economic development so often fails to deliver what it promises, and what those working in and around the field can do differently.

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE

Endorsements

“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.

“From what I have seen already, this has the potential to create a step change 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.”

Adam Breeze, Breeze Strategy

“2026 has to be the year that economic development professionals take the important steps, from policy comment, strategic views, to decisive practictioner application and delivery. Critical is to have an accessible platform for CPD, training, and a focused community to ask questions and discuss best practice and aspects of local and regional economic development. I am delighted that an established and respected colleague Glenn Athey has founded and created this resource on www.economicdevelopment.world .”

Mark Pearson, Head of Economic Development, Reading's Economy & Destination Agency (REDA)

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Glenn Standing at Podium Speaking at a Conference

Founded by Glenn Athey, an Economic Development Professional and Advisor With 32 Years of Supporting UK Economic Development

LPIP Fellow, University of Birmingham

Author of "The Local and Regional Economic Development Handbook"

Latest News and Advice

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The Growth Sectors Skills Trap You Need to Avoid

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𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻 "𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀," 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱. We're funneling all our attention into fashionable trends while critical job vacancies go unfilled in stable, vital industries like...

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Welcome to the first ED Unpacked Youtube video. This video series will provide deep dives, thought leadership, and challenge conventional wisdom in local and regional economic development.I've reviewed hundreds of economic development strategies over 30 years and been...

𝗧𝗵𝗲 **𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗬𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀** 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

𝗧𝗵𝗲 **𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗬𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀** 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

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Let's cut the fanfare. Economic Development is not a press release, its not a claim of a golden future in a manifesto or strategy. It's a job, on the ground, in a neighbourhood. In the UK, we've perfected the art of the launch event—the glossy, aspirational strategy,...

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