Gateshead is increasingly part of a global community. More than ever our future is related to what is happening not only locally, regionally and nationally, but in the wider European and international context. Flows of jobs and finance, people and organisations are now happening faster and on a bigger scale than ever before. We need to respond, to shape and to influence such patterns to ensure that Gateshead benefits.
Vision 2030 set out the need for Gateshead to consider its place in the international community – to maximise the opportunities of globalisation for Gateshead. We identified the following key outcomes as measures of our success in achieving our Big Idea – Gateshead Goes Global:
Why do we work internationally?
Establishing Gateshead’s place in the global economy
We know that globalisation and the emergence of the knowledge economy means that cities and towns need to compete globally to attract growth and investment.
Not only does this mean we need to make Gateshead an attractive place for investors, emphasising our quality of life, and our reputation for cultural and sporting excellence on an international stage, but we also need to make sure that Gateshead residents have the right skills to provide the modern diverse workforce that companies now require.
We want Gateshead to be able to attract new jobs and investment because it is known internationally as a place that is connected to global markets; is able to attract and retain talent and creativity; and provides the right environment in which people want to do business.
Global citizens
All the evidence suggests that ‘connectivity’ in its widest sense is a key factor in economic and social success, and that those places which understand and develop their international links achieve higher levels of openness, tolerance, quality of life and sustainability. We want to ensure that Gateshead can take advantage of the opportunities international activity can bring and that people and organisations can see real benefit from international activity.
Developing cultural and educational links can help build confidence, deliver life skills and promote understanding as well as unleash creativity. This is central to our ambitions for a Creative Gateshead.
We want Gateshead to be a diverse, tolerant and welcoming community, which welcomes visitors and where residents have the opportunity to experience a variety of cultural, life changing experiences.
World class services
International partnerships provide the opportunity to share information and expertise on our services, and to test them against the best in the world. It provides opportunities for those delivering services to enhance their skills and bring learning back to Gateshead. Sharing lessons means we can think more creatively about how we can deliver Vision 2030, and a reputation for innovation and creativity in service delivery in turn helps to attract a high quality workforce.
We can also use our experience and skills in the delivery of excellent services to help others, sharing what we do well with less developed communities and economies. This not only provides benefits to those communities we work with, but brings rewards for our workforce – developing new skills and pride in working for the Gateshead family.
This strategy has been developed to maximise these benefits for Gateshead, turning them form potential into reality, and out outcomes framework for the strategy will test programmes against these benefits through our four new strategic objectives.