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
Local Economies (UK): Growth would make all the Government’s challenges easier to solve – but it is not straining every sinew to achieve it
Source: Local Economies (UK) Author: Jisola Onifade Date published: 2025-09-02 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] Between all the talk of ‘broken Britain’ and the critiques of such ‘miserabilist’ analyses, it’s sometimes quite hard to figure...
Cities & Communities | Brookings: Europe’s difficult trade-off between military and welfare spending: the Italian case
Source: Cities & Communities | Brookings Author: unknown Date published: 2025-09-02 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] The idea of building a three-mile suspension bridge between Sicily and Italy’s mainland was notoriously a pet project of...
SmartCitiesWorld News: Manchester targets 44 per cent emissions cut with new climate action plan
Source: SmartCitiesWorld News Author: SmartCitiesWorld news team Date published: 2025-09-02 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] Manchester City Council has set out its Climate Change Action Plan for 2025-30, detailing how it will cut almost...
Local Growth and the United Kingdom: North East Automotive Alliance to deliver new skills plan
Source: Local Growth and the United Kingdom Author: unknown Date published: 2025-09-02 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] The North East Automotive Alliance (NEAA) has been appointed as the Employer Representative Body for the region’s new...
Local Economies (UK): Crackdown on international students could hurt struggling UK cities, thinktank warns
Source: Local Economies (UK) Author: Richard Partington Senior economics correspondent Date published: 2025-09-02 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] A crackdown on international students in Britain could hurt struggling cities where...
Centre for Cities: City Minutes: The role of universities in city economies
Source: Centre for Cities Author: unknown Date published: 2025-09-02 [original article can be accessed via hyperlink at the end] Chief Executive Andrew Carter is joined by Rob Johnson, Analyst, and Xuanru Lin, Researcher, to discuss the findings of our latest briefing...