A record number of delegates attended the annual GFirst LEP review
Dr Diane Savory, OBE, chair of GFirst LEP speaking at the annual review
• Attracting more people under 40 to live and work in the county, as the general population gets older. Mr Owen said GFirst LEP was on course to deliver around £500 million of total investment in Gloucestershire.The Growth Hub network is now being rolled out across the county, providing support to businesses of all types to grow. GFirst LEP is investing in a variety of projects to improve air, rail and road infrastructure; education centres to encourage science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and a Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) to grow the local economy by an average of 4.8 per cent GVA per year by 2022. In a Top of the Pops-style video presentation, business leaders were shown the Top 20 county projects that GFirst LEP had made possible - both now and in the future. In the number one spot (after the likes of Gloucester Transport Hub, the county airport investment and the stunning new Gloucestershire College campus at Cinderford) was the £22 million GFirst LEP have allocated for the UK's first dedicated Cyber Park in Cheltenham. Set in 45 hectares, it will generate more than 7,000 jobs and help establish Gloucestershire's reputation
nationally and internationally as a cyber security centre. One of the highpoints of the annual review was an entertaining and thought-provoking talk by the LEP's vice chair, Adam Starkey, on the march of new technology from self-driving cars to digital "humans" in the workforce - all of which has already become a reality. David Owen said after the event: “It’s been great to see record numbers of delegates turn out for our annual review, now really is the time to engage with the LEP and help drive forward the next exciting period of growth for the county. “There are three easy ways to engage with us; join one of our Business Groups for a taster session and contribute your ideas, volunteer a few hours with our Education Team and help empower and inspire the next generation of business leaders and, if you are under 40, please spend some time with us and give us your valuable input into developing our Local Industrial Strategy for the county” l If you would like more information on how to engage with GFirst LEP, please call 01242 715480 , email info@GFirstLep.com or visit The Growth Hub situated in the University of Gloucestershire’s Oxstalls Campus. You can also visit www.gfirstlep.com
December 2018 | www. punchline-gloucester .com | 9
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