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There's a scenario I get involved in every so often - "Glenn, can you evaluate this project for us?"... sometimes the scenario plays out as:-💰There's been some financial commitment (say, £10m) - to "do something about business growth"🌫️There was a lack of clear...

𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀 (𝗟𝗦𝗜𝗣𝘀), launched in January 2021, empowered businesses in England, especially SMEs, to have a strong voice in local skills planning as they were led by local Chambers of Commerce. The LSIPs aimed to ensure skills provision is responsive...

It was an often used phrase when I was growing up in the North East of England, and in this short article I apply it to local economic development!Unfortunately it seems the new Labour Government's economic growth programme shows little prospect of significantly...

𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙨? 𝘼𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚. 𝘼𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚.One thing I encounter quite often is that stakeholders and people who work in economic development, employment and skills fields get concerned that they don't understand the nuances of the...

𝙊𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨, 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 "𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙨".Despite excellent research, often accessible, informing public policy, not enough people know about it. The methodology could be...

STEM skills lie at the heart of skills needs for the green economy and transition to net zero, particularly for entry-level jobs, and for roles that employers can shape and train themselves.Some industries are relatively well established, and skills needs are known,...

The response to climate change will require some sweeping changes to energy costs and use, transport networks and availability, market demand and supply chains.There are real risks that the transition to net zero could add extra cost burdens onto low income residents...

New businesses, innovations, products, services and technologies will be required to meet the net zero challenge, and to find new solutions. Green innovation comprises all type of innovations that contribute to the creation of key products, services, or processes to...

The Institution of Engineering and Technology reported in 2020 that domestic energy consumption accounts for about 30% of the UK’s total energy budget, and 20% of UK greenhouse gas emissions.Since 80% of the homes we will be living in by 2050 have already been built,...

Achieving carbon reductions involves using renewable energy which relies more on electrical energy, and less on fossil fuels.More renewables means more demands on the electrical grid, and the need to significantly expand its coverage and network. As anyone will tell...

Some businesses and sectors will face significant challenges and costs in transitioning to net zero – particularly energy-intensive industries. Net zero also has significant transformational and structural challenges for the foundational economy, such as in health,...

Your inward investment offer has to be crafted around your legitimate strengths, offer and potential. Any inward investor will filter whether your proposed site or location is suitable early on. One the one hand, sticking to what are known and demonstrable local...