Join us for a series of online seminars as we debate some of the biggest questions facing our county – from the impact of ill health on employment to attracting more green investment and how we can better harness digital opportunities.
Hertfordshire Futures is kicking off 2025 with a series of debates that will bring national and regional experts together to discuss some of the key issues facing our county. These debates will help to shape Hertfordshire’s future by putting residents, businesses and communities at the heart of plans to create a resilient, productive, inclusive and sustainable economy. The 60-minute discussions will help to remove barriers to economic growth and identify future work plans to support:
Each 60-minute debate will be chaired by radio and podcast host Matt Deegan with Adrian Hawkins OBE, Chair, Hertfordshire Futures, hosting the series.
Webinar 1: Get Hertfordshire Working
29 January, 09.30-10.30
In the first of three webinars designed to take a more collaborative, locally led approach to key issues we bring experts from across skills, work and health leadership to look at how we can get people back into work and tackle the rising issue of economic inactivity due to long term sickness.
The number of people leaving the labour force due to mental and physical ill health is at record levels. The Government’s recent White Paper, Get Britain Working, comes as stark figures show almost one and a half million people are unemployed, over nine million people are inactive, and a record 2.8 million people are out of work due to long-term sickness. Young people have also been left behind with one in eight young people not in education, employment or training, and nine million adults lack the essential skills they need to get on in work.
Poor health and well-being are putting more people at risk of social exclusion and poverty, while employers are facing significant recruitment challenges and skills shortages. This brings huge societal and individual consequences as well as driving up welfare costs.
Hertfordshire is in-line with this national trend. Recent data locally shows that the number of people who are out of work and not seeking a job has grown at a dramatic rate over the past decade. These are not the officially unemployed but those who are ‘economically inactive’ due to a range of reasons, including long term sickness.
Get Hertfordshire Working will investigate why the number of people who are economically inactive due to long-term sickness has surged in a decade and why the numbers claiming unemployment benefits varies from district to district.
During this debate you will hear from:
For more information and to book your place, click here.
Webinar 2: Sustainability – Attracting Green Investment
The Industrial Strategy Green Paper sets out a 10 year plan to remove the barriers to growth in the highest potential growth-driving sectors and places, while the Budget sets ambitious decarbonisation targets and plans to achieving clean growth and sustainable infrastructure. At the same time, the Government has also drawn up legally binding commitments to help nature recover via Local Nature Recovery Strategies.
This webinar will explore how we can attract the green economy and better incentivise sustainable development. Could Hertfordshire Innovation Quarter enterprise zone and Hemel Garden Communities become exemplars for delivering sustainable housing and commercial development at scale? It will also look at the valuable contributions our rural communities and agri-sector can make to support innovation and diversification, while at the same reducing costs.
Webinar 3: Digital Adoption
In the last in this series we examine the risks and opportunities for the digital sector for business, places and people. Digital adoption is revolutionising our key sectors, driving growth and productivity, but there are risks for those businesses and residents left behind. This webinar will look at digital both from the perspective of driving innovation and improving inclusion. How can this cross-cutting sector drive innovation across key sectors, and how can we better prepare residents and businesses for a digital age to help future-proof our economy.
The series forms the last part of public engagement as Hertfordshire Futures develops a new Economic Strategy for the county for the next 10 years and beyond. Over the second half of 2024 (July to December), Hertfordshire Futures carried out extensive engagement with a wide range of stakeholders across health, business, education, the voluntary sector as well as local and neighbouring authorities. These discussions highlighted that the core strategic themes of inclusion, sustainability and innovation are not just relevant for Hertfordshire but are also of national importance. The debates will support the final development of the economic strategy and help to identify next steps for local action.
Neil Hayes, CEO, Hertfordshire Futures, said: “The extensive engagement process has taught us that these key strategic themes are not just the rights ones for the county but are also nationally significant. How we respond to these issues will help shape Hertfordshire’s future in the long term. These public webinars are intended to be just the start of that conversation – the real works begins when we start to deliver on the actions identified in our emerging Economic Strategy and take steps to create a more equitable and sustainable economic future.”
All the webinars are open to the public and free to attend. Booking details will be advertised well in advance on our website and each webinar will be available to view on demand.
Webinar One: Get Hertfordshire Working Book Now
The extensive engagement process has taught us that these key strategic themes are not just the rights ones for the county but are also nationally significant.