Local governments around the world seek to strengthen their economy, create jobs for their citizens and reduce inequalities. Through Local Economic Development (LED)-frameworks, local authorities can strengthen their capacity to make optimal use of the existing and potential characteristics of the area.
This course explores the strategies and tools for local authorities to improve conditions for economic growth and job creation, in consultation with all relevant stakeholders. We will discuss instruments to support local farmers and small business, and approaches to accommodate the different needs of urban and rural or post-conflict contexts. We will also explore how local authorities can ensure local interests vis-à-vis national government, multinationals and foreign investors. Furthermore, attention will be paid to decent work, human rights and the inclusion of vulnerable and marginalised groups, such as women and youth, in the local economy.
The course introduced me to mechanisms to fully utilise the potential of the local business sector, including public-private partnerships and participation of local communities in policymaking. After the course, I have been able to stress the importance of local economic development at the central government and I established strong links with international organisations aiming to support our local development plans.
This course is aimed at professionals involved in local economic development processes. Participants come from national, regional and local government, NGOs and donor and development organisations.
After this course, you will receive a professional certificate of completion from The Hague Academy for Local Governance.
This course will help you:
Experts who are involved in this course:
You will visit the Municipality of The Hague, where you will learn from their long-term local economic strategy. Moreover, we will highlight different projects that were implemented for local business creation and startups. Study visits will also include incubators, co-working spaces and examples of successful social enterprises.
Find the practical information for the course here.
After submitting your completed application, you will receive a confirmation of receipt. Once we have assessed your application and admitted you to the course, we will send you an invoice with payment details.
Payments can be made by bank transfer or by PayPal request. We offer the option of paying in one or two instalments. An advance payment of 50% secures the reservation of a seat at the training until the payment deadline. Your participation in the course is guaranteed only after receipt of full payment.
Please note that The Hague Academy accepts registrations on a first-paid, first-served policy.
Some countries require a visa to enter the Netherlands. Please check with The Netherlands or the embassy for the visa requirements related to your country. Because of the length of time needed for the visa procedure, we advise you to start this process as soon as possible. Once we have received your payment for the course, The Hague Academy will send you an acceptance letter which will assist you in arranging your visa to The Netherlands.
Under certain circumstances, participants may need to cancel their participation in the course. For cancellations before the payment deadline, we will reimburse the paid amounts minus an administration fee of €150.
To prevent late cancellation, we strongly encourage you to start with your visa application procedure at least six weeks before the start of the training programme.
We will charge a cancellation fee of 50% of the course fee for participants cancelling between four and two weeks prior to the start of the training. If you cancel your participation within the two-week period before the start of the course, then you have to pay 80% of the course fee.
It is always possible to nominate a suitably qualified candidate to replace you without extra charge, in the event that you cannot attend the course.
The Hague Academy for Local Governance reserves the right to cancel a course if the number of participants is insufficient or due to any other unforeseen circumstances. In this case, your payment will be 100% reimbursed. Other costs such as transportation or hotel cannot be reimbursed.
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs offers scholarships for training courses in the Netherlands. The Orange Knowledge Programme and the MENA Scholarship Programme seek to develop and strengthen the skills, instincts, and abilities of professionals to enable their organisations and communities to succeed in an ever-changing world. To learn if this course is open for scholarship applications, please visit our Scholarships page. Please note that scholarships have a separate application process.
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