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Nov 21 2010
West Midlands regional worklessness network
Educe facilitated a range of learning and networking activities on worklessness in the West Midlands, funded by DWP and CLG through Improvement and Efficiency West Midlands (IEWM). The programme ran between September 2009 and October 2010, and sought to:
- review learning and organisational development needs in tackling worklessness and impact
- assist partnerships and practitioners developing the Future Jobs Fund, Work and Skills Plans and City Region planning on employment and skills
- promote customer-focused innovation
- help strengthen evaluation evidence and the transfer of effective practice
Activities included:
- organising a regional conference, ‘Tackling Worklessness in an Age of Austerity’ (July 2010) to establish what ‘Total Place’ (TP) means in tackling worklessness, what can be learnt from the TP pilots and relevant experience in the region (featuring Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Worcestershire), and what actions are needed to drive greater impact and efficiency
- providing advisory support for the City Region MAA Employment and Skills Plan on the evidence base, data sharing, planning, commissioning, and engagement of ‘wraparound services’ (especially health and housing) alongside mainstream employment and skills delivery
- facilitating a regional Future Jobs Fund (FJF) network bringing together local authorities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises with contracts to deliver FJF in the region.
Derrick Johnstone also ran a series of four workshops to support the preparation of Local Economic Assessments in the region, on themes of Worklessness; Sustainable Economic Prosperity; and Forecasts and Scenarios. These were promoted by West Midlands Leaders Board, REDOG (the Regional Economic Development Officers Group) and IEWM.Other elements of the worklessness network programme included:
- Good Practice Review: pilot project being undertaken by RegenWM to work with practitioners to gather evidence of good practice in removing barriers to employment and increasing outcomes for particular groups, and how best to spread and embed ‘what works’.
- Cannock Chase ‘demonstration project’ which has brought local partners together to use customer insight techniques to improve multi-agency service delivery.
- evaluating-cost-effectiveness-of-worklessness-interventions: literature review and guidance prepared by West Midlands Regional Observatory
The programme was shaped by a regional steering group and linked in to the West Midlands Economic Inclusion Panel.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.educe.co.uk/?p=277
Nov 20 2010
Customer journeys and disadvantaged groups
One of the themes we pursued in our work with Improvement and Efficiency West Midlands on tackling worklessness has been that of improving customer journeys. We produced two briefings, one an introduction to customer insight for local strategic partnerships (pdf 162KB) and the other on customer journeys and worklessness (pdf 381KB). These supported workshops and action learning run with practitioners in the West Midlands, helping to shape thinking and practice, eg, on the Connections to Opportunities programme in the region.In looking at the topic we have sought to draw out distinctions between ‘customer journeys’:
- as used in integrated service design (the planner’s eye view of how services should fit together and offer progression for jobseekers and employers)
- as experienced by service users
- where the focus is on mapping the background processes
In this, we followed guidance produced for the Cabinet Office – with participants typically finding the different – and complementary – approaches illuminating. Customer journey analysis featured in a range of subsequent activities. We produced a digest of research and resources on-line that relate to customer journeys and customer research relating to disadvantaged groups (Part 1 on customer needs and transitions pdf 227KB; Part 2, covering references on health and worklessness pdf 204KB).
Permanent link to this article: https://www.educe.co.uk/?p=254
Oct 20 2010
Carbon Connections evaluation
Carbon Connections was a low carbon innovation development fund led by the University of East Anglia (UEA). It was one of 11 three-year projects supported by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), under the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) between 2007 and 2009. Educe were commissioned to assess the qualitative impact of the fund, and draw lessons and pointers to inform the strategic development of similar programmes. We provided UEA with an overall evaluation framework, with our research complementing other evaluative data from individual projects and a separate assessment of carbon reduction gains. The evaluation considered, amongst other things, forms of added value generated by the programme, the role of project co-ordinators as brokers/relationship managers, and perspectives from venture capital organisations and private sector partners.
UEA’s experience in managing Carbon Connections led to their success in securing ERDF funding for the Low Carbon Innovation Fund (LCIF), a regional venture capital fund in the East of England aimed at SMEs who are developing innovative products, services or processes in a low carbon, environmentally sensitive manner. Educe have since been commissioned to undertake the evaluation of LCIF, in conjunction with Futureneering Ltd.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.educe.co.uk/?p=250
Sep 21 2010
Value for money in partnership working
Challenges in determining value for money in partnership working have come up repeatedly in our work through Improvement and Efficiency West Midlands (IEWM) with local authorities and Local Strategic Partnerships. We have delivered workshops on the subject, along with a digest of on-line material on VfM, especially relating to research and tools which aid assessment of cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit (download 
pdf 177 KB).An earlier briefing for IEWM provides background on the theme of VfM in partnership working (download pdf 176KB)
pdf 177 KB).An earlier briefing for IEWM provides background on the theme of VfM in partnership working (download pdf 176KB)Permanent link to this article: https://www.educe.co.uk/?p=260
Sep 21 2010
Reducing Worklessness in Norfolk
We assisted Norfolk County Council and partners in developing the Worklessness Assessment and Framework for the county, in partnership with OCSI and Papworth Consulting.Elements of the work included:
- analysis of changes in the Norfolk labour market, needs and barriers amongst disadvantaged groups
- customer research, focusing on the needs and experiences of individuals from different groups and parts of the county
- pulling together information on current worklessness provision in the county, building on a regional mapping project undertaken by the University of Glasgow
- reviewing the implications of a changing policy environment
The Worklessness Assessment fed into the Norfolk Economic Assessment and the County’s Child Poverty Assessment and Strategy. The work subsequently provided a basis for influencing the delivery of the Work Programme in the county.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.educe.co.uk/?p=258
Sep 21 2010
Good practice in data sharing
Problems with data sharing continue to be raised as a serious obstacle to developing effective, joined-up services to tackle worklessness at local level. Adverse consequences can include poor targeting of services, weak referral systems, duplicated provision and difficulties in determining value for money.This guide on Good Practice in Data Sharing (
840 KB), published by Local Government Improvement and Development (now Local Government Association) in May 2010:
840 KB), published by Local Government Improvement and Development (now Local Government Association) in May 2010:- sets out the ways in which shared data can contribute in tackling worklessness
- illustrates what can get in the way of data sharing – and what lies behind this
- draws distinctions between different types of data sharing, and the importance of personal consent
- explains the legal basis for data sharing around worklessness, including that affecting what DWP can and cannot share
- highlights good practice and explores data sharing as partnership in action.
This was one of two How To guides produced by Educe for LGID, part of the series funded by DWP and CLG following the Houghton ‘Tackling Worklessness’ Review (TWR). It drew on the CLG/DWP Data Sharing Pilot Programme (a TWR project) and earlier work by Educe on Data Sharing for Neighbourhood Renewal. It was written to complement the DWP guidance on data sharing and worklessness and on data sharing and social security data. Note also that DWP are now making small area benefits data available (reducing the need for data sharing requests) – see their page on Output Area data.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.educe.co.uk/?p=257