Bringing together senior representatives from further education and training providers, Local Authorities, RDAs, SSCs and employers, this conference mapped a course through the complex policy landscape for regional skills and economic development and examined how effectively to join up the work of all partners on the skills and regeneration agenda. The Leitch Review and “World Class Skills” positioned skills at the heart of the Government’s agenda to ensure the UK is a powerhouse of economic prosperity and social justice. However, findings from the new UKCES demonstrate that while skill and productivity levels are increasing in all regions and localities they remain unevenly distributed across the UK. Anticipating the implications of the Sub-National Review Consultation for the leadership of the regional skills agenda, this event explored how to build effective partnerships to articulate and meet local and regional skills and economic development needs. .