Lesley Bassett Growth Strategy Programme Manager Cheshire West and Chester Council

 Cross-border economic partnership: unique in UK in representing functioning cross-border economic area  9 members  Extensive networks  Complex political and partnership environment

 Nationally significant functional economic area - £17+bn GVA (£19.1bn including Conwy)  Central to wider M56/A55 Manchester Airport - Bangor Innovation Corridor - £31bn GVA  Largely self contained labour market with significant daily cross-border commuting  40-50,000 potential job creation over years

 Investment in transport infrastructure and cross-border transport services  Meeting the current and future skills needs of major employers and of SMEs in key sectors including higher level skills  Extending local supply chains of major businesses and supporting workforce planning  Raising awareness of the region’s economic potential

 81% of the resident working population of 457,000 are employed in the area; significant cross-border commuting to work  Manufacturing employment is more than double the UK average  Private sector investment critical in driving future job creation – need to understand and respond to employers’ needs on a cross- border basis  Skills strategies which focus on specific geographies on either side of the border will limit the region’s growth potential

 Complete cross-border skills and training needs analysis of employers’ core needs to sustain existing employers and grow the advanced engineering sector  Seek to align or secure flexibility in currently differential FE policies to benefit the region as a whole  Seek to pool public finance (European, UK and Welsh Government, local authority) and use it to leverage additional private sector funding  Good initial progress