In the wake of the global economic downtown trends have emerged that are threatening the future workforce. There are 75 million who are currently unemployed and more than 200 million youth who are earning less than $US2 per day. Yet 1/3 of businesses are still unable to fill vacancies due to skills gap. Therefore educational systems are not preparing young people properly to enter the labor market.

We are now over five years since the global financial crisis (GFC) of 2007-08 plunged the world (and UK) economy into recession, and just over half way through the five year term of the UK coalition government that began in May 2010. In this period the previously-accepted orthodox local economic development models – international, national and local – have been super-ceded by new agendas and approaches. However, a return to long-run sustainable growth and development seems elusive, and the optimum role and functions of LAs in this process remains ‘work-in-progress’.