Convergence commentary
The latest articles on the Convergence programme showing the integration of activity, lessons learnt and good practice available here...
Collective approach creating 'can-do' Cornwall. Western Morning News.
There is no doubt that 2009 is the year that changed our lives. The global downturn, credit crunch, disillusionment with the banking industry, the media exposure of MPs' expenses, the threat of growing unemployment, the ever present onset of swine flu, the international response to climate change, the rise of the Twitter phenomenon; the sheer volume of texting and personal blog sites - all this affects not only our current sense of personal wellbeing, economic welfare and national standing, but will affect all of us for the rest of our lives.
So what for 2010? If there is one certainty then that certainty is change. But change should not equal fear. What’s the positive thing about change? It is the possibilities. Because we don’t know what’s going to happen, many things can happen. And we have to be ready to make the most of this – together.
In the last nine years, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has embraced change through its Objective One and now Convergence investments into new and novel economic assets. It has set forth on a long term generational journey to lift the economy from the bottom of the UK’s economic ladder and to build a new vibrant economic infrastructure that can innovate out of chaos, create new models of business in the face of traditional decline and provide a testing bed for untried experiments to pave the way for the rest to follow.
The ambition lies in opportunity for all and in the colour green, through the transformation of its historically land-based, low labour cost economy to an economy embracing knowledge-driven business activity, celebrating our natural environment and historic heritage.
We will continue to explore the opportunities of the green agenda through investment in wave energy and associated research institutes. We will trial novel ways of business support to accelerate the growth of our ambitious businesses and encourage new business activity and start ups.
Upskilling our people and providing better access to education and to the world of work is a key objective, as is working with emerging markets and business leaders to identify and provide the skills for the future. We will invest in the best digital technology and support in order to remove the final physical barrier to national and international markets.
So, who knows what the future will bring? No-one foresaw the trauma of the last fourteen months. But our many bright people, businesses and partnerships will work together to continually lift our game to be in the best position to maximise the upturn as it happens.
It is in the collective that we will continue to create a “can-do Cornwall” – pick ourselves up, and do it our way.
