Diversity week in the West Midlands 16th-20th November 2009

Monday 16th November heralds the start of Diversity Week 2009, promoted by Advantage West Midlands in partnership with the West Midlands Employer Coalition.
Around 35 events are taking place across the West Midlands between 16th-20th November 2009, aiming to help businesses appreciate the real benefits of a diverse workforce.

West Midlands employment rate stabilises

Latest labour market data published today by the Office for National Statistics shows that the West Midlands’ employment rate has stabilised at 70.0%.
The region’s level of unemployment has fallen by 14,000. However, this seems to be due to people becoming economically inactive rather than entering employment. Previous quarters saw many people in the region moving [...]

Shropshire to host Centre of Excellence for mental health and employment

Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health have announced nine new Centres of Excellence in supporting people who use mental health services into employment, including one in Shropshire.
Services in Central and North West London, Essex, Shropshire, Somerset and South West London have committed to being full partners in the programme. They will act as exemplars of how [...]

Solihull wins national award for cross-sector partnership work

The Compact Plus for Solihull was among the winners at this week’s national Annual Compact awards.
Sir Bert Massie, Commissioner for the Compact, announced the winners at a ceremony in London, held during Compact Week.
Solihull won the Local Compact of the Year award for its attempts to reinvigorate a Local Compact agreement that was largely ignored. [...]

State of the Region dialogue on climate change published

We’ve published the State of the Region dialogue Challenge or opportunity? How to plan for Climate Change (PDF, 1.3mb).
This report aims to help decision makers understand how climate change will impact on their areas and also give practical ways of adapting to, and taking advantage of, the opportunities and challenges presented by climate change.
The report [...]

Consumers choose to spend their cash on cultural attractions when the going gets tough according to West Midlands Cultural Observatory

They said it would happen and according to research published this week by the West Midlands Cultural Observatory it is happening: the recession has caused consumers to be more selective about what cultural products and services they spend their cash on.
Evidence cited in the latest recession paper suggests that over the Spring and Summer months, [...]

Regional innovation scoreboard imminent

Most of the time we compare the relative performance of the West Midlands to that of other English regions, but how do we compare with other regions in the wider EU?
INNO Metric’s 2006 Regional Innovation Scoreboard (RIS) (PDF, 644kb) made such comparisons, assessing data from over two hundred regions across twenty-five states of the EU to [...]

Volunteer work in the recession – a lost opportunity?

No increase in volunteering
New Citizenship Survey data published last week by CLG show volunteering levels have remained almost static over the past year in England.
Levels of formal volunteering at least once a month are unchanged since 2001.
This lack of increase in volunteering despite the rising levels of unemployment seems to confirm what many in the voluntary and [...]

West Midlands ‘output gap’ has risen to £15bn

The West Midlands’ economy is less productive than the national average, and the gap is growing, according to new research released by the West Midlands Regional Observatory.
In the 2009 ‘State of the Region’ report, the Observatory has revealed that compared to the UK average, the economic output gap of the West Midlands – caused by [...]

Innovating out of recession workshop summary

With innovation seen as a key way for businesses to navigate the recession, the Innovating out of Recession workshop at our Annual Conference brought together an interesting mix of speakers and delegates to discuss innovative practices, measuring innovation and how innovation may change the industrial structure of the West Midlands.
Cliff Dennett from thoughtengine, co-author of [...]

Engaging communities in the new economy – Observatory conference debate

Support the community organisations who are working on the ground, was a strong theme in both workshops on ‘engaging communities in the new economy’ at the Observatory’s 2009 Annual Conference.
The workshop heard from voices working with communities in the region who articulated their frustrations in having to fit their work around funders’ requirements, rather than [...]

Roundup of workshop on skills for the emerging economy

‘Skills for the emerging economy’ was a lively and well-attended workshop held at the Observatory’s Annual Conference on 20th October 2009.
Steve Sawbridge, from the Association of Colleges, chaired the workshop, which featured presentations from Mike Beasley, Pat Jackson and Andy Phillips.

Environment and economy: Fit for the Future?

The 2009 Observatory conference, West Midlands: Fit for the Future?, provided a forum for debate on economic recovery in the West Midlands.
One element of the debate concentrated on how to link the environment and economy better, based on chapters 4 and 9 of the Fit for the Future? book.
Delegates at the Environment and Economy workshop discussed Green Infrastructure, leadership and [...]

What will be the key drivers for the West Midlands’ future? Notes from ‘Regional Drivers for the Future’ workshop at the Observatory’s 2009 conference

There was little disagreement from workshop participants with Gill Bentley’s opening suggestion that ‘this recession is almost tantamount to war’ in terms of its impact on the region’s prosperity.
Dr Chris Upton’s account, in chapter 1 of West Midlands: Fit for the Future? (PDF, 5.7mb), of the devastating impact that the 1790s war with France had [...]

Live blogging the Observatory’s Annual Conference

Our 2009 Annual Conference, titled West Midlands: Fit for the Future?, takes place tomorrow in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham.
You can keep up-to-date with comments and tweets about the conference as it unfolds on the day using this CoverItLive liveblog (replay the liveblog here).
You can add comments directly in the liveblog itself or by sending a tweet [...]