Bosses at the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership have published a strategy outlining its vision to create jobs and grow businesses in nine key sectors.

The strategy highlights Norfolk and Suffolk's strengths in sectors ranging from energy and ports to life sciences and ICT, and identifies a range of opportunities to increase employment and support business growth.

Measures include:

n Supporting supply-chain development in the energy sector;

n Improving skills provision in the agricultural sector;

n Promoting a life sciences triangle linking Norwich, Cambridge and Ipswich; and

n Encouraging more cluster development and pilot innovation in the advanced manufacturing sector.

The sectors identified have been selected because of Norfolk and Suffolk's leadership in these fields and the potential for future growth and the plan has been developed with key industry figures from these sectors.

And the LEP is supporting the development of private sector-led groups to take forward in more detail the future development of these sectors.

The sector growth strategy is designed to be the starting point in the development of more detailed action plans for the sectors.

It will also form part of New Anglia's Plan for Growth which will be published in the spring and provide a comprehensive plan for developing the economy of Suffolk and Norfolk.

Andy Wood, New Anglia chairman, said: 'We are fortunate in our part of the country to have some really strong concentrations of nationally and internationally competitive sectors.

'From ICT to life sciences, from tourism to energy, we are strong in sectors with real future potential. The role of the LEP is to act as a catalyst and help turn this potential into new businesses and jobs.

'The role of our sector groups is to work together to identify and grasp the opportunities and tackle the barriers to growth. This strategy has been developed with key individuals from these sectors and will act as a real stimulus to growing jobs and opportunities.'