Online CPD: Introduction to Economic Development (Tim Teather)

Tim Teather is Investment, Innovation and Business Development Lead at Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils, a role he has held since October 2022. Tim’s remit is to attract additional investment into the districts and strengthen engagement with existing businesses to support high-value job creation and rapid business growth, particularly in identified key sectors. To support his development, he signed up to the IED’s Introduction to Economic Development CPD Online programme in December.

“It is natural when in a new environment, and to be effective in a new role, to want to make sense of it and ensure that you have the benefit of the background to fill any blind spots in your knowledge about the topic,” Tim explained. “My manager actually signed me up for the course, recognising that whilst I had done an MBA 20 years ago, I had not previously worked in government nor in economic development and had only just returned to the country from Australia so a foundation in economic development would help to fill in the blanks and provide the cornerstone for my work going forwards.”

The Introduction to Economic Development CPD Online programme ran over three days, comprising three 90-minute webinars led by the IED’s Executive Director Nigel Wilcock. “At every level I had a blank portrait that I needed to fill in,” Tim said. “This is possible by doing your own research but it is very slow so to have someone like Nigel provide this is exactly what was needed. Not only did Nigel provide the definitions and information of the various elements of economic development he also overlaid his experience on the top which gave more nuance and insight than the Powerpoint would do on its own. It was very engaging, very wide ranging in its topics, and covered a lot of ground.”

Tim has immediately benefited from completing the Introduction to Economic Development CPD Online programme. “It is applied every day by having a clearer understanding of economic development generally and has short-circuited the search for understanding as that has been provided; so a great time saver,” he revealed. “It has been beneficial straight away in helping provide the background that would take a long time to research or acquire as experience, enabling me to identify questions and approaches that I would not otherwise have considered. I would definitely recommend the course.”

Case study developed: January 2023