PROSPECTS are looking up on Worcester's business front.

Research has shown the county had the third highest growth in prosperity out of all 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships areas between 2010 - 2014 and also had the greatest growth in workforce skills during that period, measured in terms of the number of people in higher level occupations and the quality of educational attainment.

The research, which was released by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, measured prosperity through a variety of indicators, including gross value added, earnings, employment, skills and qualifications.

JFR’s announcement follows previous positive results for Worcestershire with the latest statistics released by the Office of National Statistics showing that during a similar time period (2009 – 2014) Worcestershire’s productivity grew on average by 3.1 per cent in terms of GVA per hour worked, placing the county second of all 39 LEP areas.

Gary Woodman, chief executive of the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “It is great to see further research showing what we are seeing on the ground, including the recognition for the county’s skilled workforce. All partner organisations are working to ensure the long-term prosperity of the county and the results of this research is a credit to our local businesses.

“We continue to work with all organisations across Worcestershire to achieve our target of a GVA growth of £2.9bn and 25,000 new jobs by 2025 and I would encourage businesses to save the date for our annual conference on November 4 to see how you can be further involved.”

To be added to the invitation list for Worcestershire LEP’s 2016 Annual Conference, which will take place on November 4 and celebrate a number of business successes in the county, email enquiries@wlep.co.uk