Councillor Lawrence made his speech at a meeting of the full council on 17 September.
He focused on the ongoing importance of attracting investment and jobs to the city, but also in equipping city residents with the skills to be able to get those jobs.
Councillor Lawrence said: "In this intensely competitive environment our proactive approach to encouraging business and enterprise is fundamental to building on this success. A thriving, prosperous, enterprising city needs to focus on improving the quality of life for its residents and we have worked hard to improve the city's offer.
"Sustaining this strong local economy and encouraging the creation of high quality jobs means keeping our skills pipeline flowing. The council has an important role in influencing education and training in providers - and in directing the skills and employment delivery funded by other agencies. However, the skills agenda must be employer led to be really effective."
He also talked about how the council was continuing to manage its budgets with ongoing huge cuts by Central Government and pointed to recent examples of regeneration and investment in the city.
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- released: Tuesday 23 September, 2014