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?

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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
Bloomberg CityLab: The Secret to Vancouver’s Public Transit Ridership Recovery
Source: Bloomberg CityLab Author: David Zipper Date published: 2025-10-09 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] Across North America, transit agencies have struggled to match the passenger counts they posted prior to Covid, in large part due to...
www.manchester.gov.uk News Stories: Climate Change: Plans set out what Manchester has to do in the next five years
Source: www.manchester.gov.uk News Stories Author: unknown Date published: 2025-10-08 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] Both the city as a whole and the Council as an organisation are on a mission to reduce the amount of carbon, the biggest...
SmartCitiesWorld News: Toronto celebrates public wifi milestone
Source: SmartCitiesWorld News Author: SmartCitiesWorld news team Date published: 2025-10-08 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] City of Toronto has reached a milestone in the City’s work to close the digital divide with free, City-provided...
Local Economies (UK): Rust or revolution? Britain’s ageing wind turbines near pivotal moment
Source: Local Economies (UK) Author: Finley Becks-Phelps Date published: 2025-10-08 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] The UK is nearing a crossroads at which it will either begin shedding wind power capacity it cannot afford to lose, or grasp...
Mayor’s press releases: More than 1.4 million attended world’s biggest women’s sporting events in London this year
Source: Mayor's press releases Author: 2025-10-02T12:28:45+0100 Date published: 2025-10-08 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] Over 1.4 million fans have flocked to London this year to see women’s sport in the capital The Women’s Rugby World...
SmartCitiesWorld News: Cycling in Glasgow soars as active travel network expands
Source: SmartCitiesWorld News Author: SmartCitiesWorld news team Date published: 2025-10-07 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] Glasgow has recorded 4.65 million cycling trips between January and August this year, a 43 per cent increase...

