Regenerating Wolverhampton

With Wolverhampton featuring as one of the top regions in the country for unemployment the need for regeneration is obvious. The decision by Jaguar Land Rover to chose Wolverhampton as the site for its Advanced Engine Facility brought £355 million of direct investment into the area and the promise of hundreds of skilled jobs but there is still much more to be done and this evening we were joined by Tim Johnson, the City's Strategic Director for Education and Enterprise to hear from him what steps are being taken to regenerate the City

The combination of Education and Enterprise Departments is unique to Wolverhampton but reflects the importance which is attached to equipping the people of the City with the skills to make them more employable and as a way of creating the right conditions for enterprise to flourish

Tim explained the work which the Council was undertaking with local schools and developers and in particular the plans for the development of the City Centre to enhance the City's retail and office offer. With the advantage of a great location, excellent communications, access to a huge market and advanced manufacturers such as JLR and an aerospace sector accounting for 12% of the country's aerospace output Tim and his colleagues are convinced that Wolverhampton has got a lot to offer businesses and a great base to build on.