A PACKAGE of measures designed to ensure the Thames Valley stays in the top ten of Europe's most prosperous areas was unveiled last Thursday evening to 250 of the region's key business leaders.

New plans include a £100,000 innovation project to encourage and support new technological start-ups, moves to create more jobs in the booming knowledge economy, and a drive to reduce the skills shortage that is forcing many hi-tech companies to recruit young staff from elsewhere.

Shaun Whittaker, chief executive of the Thames Valley Economic Partnership (TVEP), the body that links business, Government, educators and civil society, revealed the plans at the organisation's tenth anniversary dinner at the Vodafone Pavilion, Newbury, on Thursday evening.

Mr Whittaker told more than 250 guests, some from the Wycombe area, that when the TVEP was formed in 1994 the region had been badly in need of new vitality, new companies and new initiatives.

Today it had become the European headquarters of many of the world's most dynamic companies, many of them under 21 years old.

"These businesses are valued in billions," he said. "Vodafone alone, Britain's fourth largest company, which started with just a handful of people, is valued at not much less than £100billion."

But Mr Whittaker sounded a note of caution, insisting that the Thames Valley had to continue to grow and to welcome change.

"We must stay the pace," he said. "We have no choice if we are to remain at the cutting edge of global and European business.

"Our duty is to ensure that the Thames Valley continues to flourish, while at the same time presenting an environment that allows us speedy access to pleasant countryside, cultural activities, all kinds of sport and world class universities.

"We are working to develop a large pool of talent to drive the knowledge economy."

Look out for a story on the skills shortage in the next issue of Business News