Type=image;ImageID=5271;ImageClass=left;ImageTitle=William Keegan CBE, Councillor Roger Lawrence, John Wood;TitleClass=strong;
Type=image;ImageID=5272;ImageClass=left;ImageTitle=William Keegan CBE, Tim Johnson, Scott Thompson, Marc Fleetham, Head of Marketing/Comms (Wton Wanderers FC);TitleClass=strong;
The forecast was made in the Wolverhampton Economic Review that was launched at the event, attended by more than 150 members of the city's business community.
The keynote speaker was William Keegan CBE, Senior Economic Commentator at The Observer, who urged Wolverhampton to get its story known and recognised nationally.
Leader of Wolverhampton City Council, Councillor Roger Lawrence, said: "This forecast recognises the strength in depth of Wolverhampton's economy. It's just the first of series of positive stories for the city that we hope to announce over the coming months.
"It's important to understand that making this happen won't just be a matter of attracting strategic businesses with a high growth potential. It's also about supporting Wolverhampton's home grown entrepreneurs to develop and grow their businesses, to innovate and become more internationally competitive.
"To that end, the council along with our partners has launched the Black Country Growth Hub at the University's Business Solutions Centre - effectively, it's a one stop shop for business advice and support tailored specifically to the needs of the individual business.
"Most importantly, if we're to make our success sustainable, we have to make sure that local people are in the best possible position to compete for opportunities when they arise.
"To that end, we're launching a new Skills Commission with our partners.
"This will offer constructive challenge to our existing skills providers and help us all understand how better to fit training and development opportunities to the current and future demands of business.
"As always, the strong partnership between business, the education sector and the public sector in Wolverhampton will be the key to success".
John Wood, Director - Group Corporate Services at Caparo Industries Plc and a co-opted private sector member on the City Board, said: "The benefits of the partnership between the private and public sectors in Wolverhampton are there for everyone to see.
"To take just one example, a £57 million public investment at i54 bred £600 million in private investment - and created the conditions for Wolverhampton to become a major centre of world-class manufacturing.
"We're a business friendly city with a can do attitude. Wolverhampton Business Week is all about bringing people together to plan and shape a better future for the city and to create a something that all of us who live and work here want to see - prosperity for all".
The Wolverhampton: a City of Business Opportunities Breakfast was the inaugural event in Wolverhampton's first Business Week. This Thursday 2 October, an Investment in Wolverhampton Opportunities Conference will introduce developers and investors from around the UK to the opportunities available now in the city centre and elsewhere.
- released: Monday 29 September, 2014