CPD, training and skills in Local and Regional Economic Development
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
- 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
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.
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)
Want Local and Regional Economic Development Strategies that Actually Get Implemented?
Want to Persuade Political Leaders to Invest in Economic Development?
Struggling to Make the Case for Innovation Funding?
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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External news
Regional Economies: UK Jobs Report : Permanent Placements Decline, Starting Salaries Stagnate
Source: Regional Economies Author: Omar Faridi Date published: 2025-10-13 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] The KPMG and REC, UK Report on Jobs survey, compiled by S&P Global, revealed a further decline in the recruitment of permanent...
Combined Authorities (England): Let Mayors Build: a new deal for transport Britain invented mass transit. Devolution can get us building again.
Source: Combined Authorities (England) Author: cromlyngames Date published: 2025-10-13 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] submitted by /u/cromlyngames[link][comments] View original article at:
Newsroom – CFS: First ‘Parliamentary Friends of Cities’ launched to champion Australia’s urban future
Source: Newsroom – CFS Author: Matt Levinson Date published: 2025-10-13 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] The first ever ‘Parliamentary Friends of Cities’ will be launched today, a multi-partisan group to advance long-term, place-based urban...
SmartCitiesWorld News: Manchester sets out climate action plan for next five years
Source: SmartCitiesWorld News Author: SmartCitiesWorld news team Date published: 2025-10-13 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] The UK city of Manchester has brought forward its co-ordinated plans to tackle climate change over the next five...
Local Economies (UK): Defence Offsets: FDI’s Secret Weapon?
Source: Local Economies (UK) Author: Adam Breeze Date published: 2025-10-09 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] The UK’s new Defence Industrial Strategy was published in September, with a headline commitment to increase defence spending to 3%....
SmartCitiesWorld News: The risk of cities not investing in resilience
Source: SmartCitiesWorld News Author: SmartCitiesWorld news team Date published: 2025-10-09 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] The risk of cities not investing in resilienceThe report highlights several existing pathways that cities have...