First, some basic facts about the South East:
- It's one of the most prosperous regions in Europe with an economy of around
- 145 billion that still growing - good news for your employment prospects.
- 8,000 overseas companies have their Northern European HQs here - the ability
to work with people of all nationalities and an open-minded approach will
stand you in excellent stead.
- In case you?re not in the south east, and thinking What?s in it for me?
the south east contributes - 17.7 billion a year to Government finances -
the largest amount of any other UK region and double that of London. This
is good news if you live outside the south east ? the UK needs its financial
contribution!
- A third of the region is designated as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty;
72km of the South East's coastline is designated as Heritage Coast. Get
out and about next weekend or, if you?re not from the region, plan a visit
to see for yourself!
So that's the good news. Problems?
Success comes at a price, and the region does have problems, including:
- The most heavily congested road and rail network in the UK, with the highest
levels of car ownership in England. The next time your boss is stuck at
Gatwick or Heathrow, remind him that the region receives the majority of
visitors and freight traffic into the UK through these airports, the Channel
Tunnel and ports on the south coast.
- High property prices, which are squeezing out people on lower incomes
so there?s a shortage of key workers. This is worth keeping in mind if you?re
considering a move to the region.
- Continued population growth is putting a huge strain on public services
and threatening land and water supplies. Next time you turn a tap on remember
that current levels of water use can?t be sustained. Turn it off as soon
as you can!
- Economic success is unbalanced. The eastern and southern parts include
some of the most deprived wards in the UK, while the Isle of Wight, Brighton
and Hove all have levels of unemployment well above the national average.
Successful areas - the north and west - have the challenges to deal with
that success brings, such as congestion and skills shortages.
- Skills shortages. One million people of working age lack basic skills.
Areas with a high percentage of unskilled workers do not tend to perform
well in the economic sense.
So what's being done to tackle those problems?
The South East of England Development Agency is working with many partners in
the region to tackle these problems and the threat of complacency that success
brings. According to its Regional Economic Strategy for South East England 2002-2012,
it has five main objectives for the region and focus on developing:
- Competitive businesses
- Successful people
- Vibrant communities
- Effective infrastructure
- The sustainable use of natural resources.
So what do these objectives mean, and how do
they affect you and your company?
You can play a key role in each of these in work and outside the office.
Competitive Businesses: According to the Regional Economic
Strategy, the objective is that by 2012 the region will be one of the world?s
15 most entrepreneurial and innovative regions. It will be a dynamic, diverse
and knowledge-based economy that excels in innovation and turning ideas into
wealth creating enterprise.
What does this mean for you and your company?
- Greater choice in working opportunities
- Lots of small and medium sized businesses for you to consider working
for in the future
- More help for your company in managing growth, developing its skills
and teams, ensuring its success and linking in to know-how and people
who can help. Much of this is on the Internet
- Keeping your skills up to date will be more important than ever
so that you can take advantage of the many employment opportunities.
|
RESULT!
SEEDA?s Inward investment team promotes the benefits of locating in the
South East to overseas companies who want to establish a base in Europe.
During 2002/2003, the team helped 40 companies set up in the region; this
created or safeguarded 1,699 jobs. |
Successful People
The Regional Economic Strategy states that by 2012, the South East will be one
of the top 15 regions in the world in terms of labour productivity and employment
rates. It will have a skilled, motivated inclusive and highly productive workforce
that anticipates and embraces change.
What does this mean for you and your company?
- Greater access to information about learning and training opportunities,
mostly on the Internet. It is up to you to take advantage of this.
- Closer links between your company and local universities to help
close gaps between the skills available and those required to make
sure your company has the skills it needs to succeed.
- More companies will be inspired to set up In the area as it has
the skills required to meet their needs. This will mean greater wealth
for the region and more opportunities for you!
- There?s lots of effort going into help companies Link up to broadband.
Find out what it can Do for you and your company by Visiting www.seeonline.net
and checking out the Broadband page!
|
RESULT!
The performance figures for 2003-2004 show that SEEDA has its partners
have created 14,953 learning opportunities! |
Vibrant Communities
The aim is that by 2012 the gap between the most deprived parts of the region
and the rest will have narrowed by at least 10%. The Regional Economic Strategy
seeks to develop an inclusive society characterised by strong, diverse and healthy
communities enjoying ready access to high quality jobs, education, homes, health
and other services, and free from high levels of crime and discrimination.
What will this mean for you and your company?
- If you live in an area where the economy is stagnant, career opportunities
will improve.
- You?ll need to ensure that you keep your skills up to date to be
in a position to make the most of the new opportunities in your area.
- Your company will have access to advice and information, and possibly
funding to help it grow.
|
RESULT!
The performance figures show that in the 2003-2004 year, SEEDA and its
partners attracted over ?37 million of private sector investment which
benefited deprived areas in the region. |
Effective Infrastructure
The Regional Economic Strategy seeks to ensure that by 2012, the region will
have made measurable progress towards infrastructure that matches the standards
of the best in North West Europe. The region will have transport, communications,
housing and health infrastructures that support and enable continued economic
growth and improved quality of life for all.
What will this mean for you and your company?
- Regional connections will be faster and Easier for you and your
boss
- You should be able to save time when Travelling.
- Your boss will get less uptight when held up by travel problems!
|
RESULT!
SEEDA is working to improve cross-regional road and rail links, eg East/West
Rail linking Oxford and Cambridge and the South Coast; and improving cross-London
links (Thameslink) from Milton Keynes to Gatwick and Brighton. |
Sustainable Use of Natural Resources
The aim here is that by 2012 the South East will be one of the world?s leading
environment economies, with businesses in the region having made significant
gains in safeguarding and enhancing this asset.
- If you?re an office manager, you have a particularly important role
to play in ensuring that your company plays its part in protecting
the natural assets of the south east.
- You can play a key role in protecting our environment by turning
off taps and managing your waste effectively at home and at the office.
|
RESULT!
The six Sustainable Business Partnerships in the region worked with 11,000
businesses in 2001, helping them to achieve savings through improved energy
efficiency, waste minimisation and utilities management and to reduce
negative environmental impacts. |
What's different about this strategy? What?s
going to make it work?
The Agency can bring all the key organisations together to come up with realistic,
workable solutions to problems in the South East. This is the first time that
government departments and agencies, businesses, local authorities and community
groups have been working together to solve problems and implement effective
solutions. Additionally, SEEDA can look across the problems in the area from
a regional perspective.
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