Evaluation
Summary
Work has involved the design of evaluation strategies, the evaluation of UK and EU projects dealing with aspects of business support, regeneration, social care, learning programmes and qualifications. These evaluations have been formative, summative and process, and have varied in scale from local to transnational.
Some highlights
Evaluation of the Skills Retention Programme
We were commissioned by Gateshead College to undertake an evaluation of the Skills Retention Programme that they had been facilitating at Tata Steel’s Corus plant on Teesside.
Following the partial mothballing of the plant, selected members of the workforce were offered bursaries and a programme of training as an alternative to redundancy. We interviewed a sample of the participants and key people involved in the initiative, as well as reviewing the documentary evidence, to draw some lessons from the experience.
Evaluation of Northumberland InfoNet
We completed a second evaluation of Northumberland InfoNet – the sub regional observatory/research & intelligence unit for the County. This work was commissioned by the Northumberland Strategic Partnership. It reviewed the performance of InfoNet since our earlier evaluation in late 2004, and examined options for its future sustainability.
Visit the web site at www.northumberlandinfonet.org.uk
Evaluation of local Sure Start programmes
We were commissioned to carry out local evaluation of the Sure Start Horden and Easington Colliery, Teesdale, Shildon and Newton Aycliffe West programmes. This work included an examination of the effectiveness of the arrangements for partnership working, the approach to parental engagement and involvement, and the effectiveness of the services provided – both group activities and home visits.
We also completed evaluation strategies and annual evaluation reports, 3 year reviews of progress, accessible guides to the Sure Start Delivery Plans, helped with the development of more effective communications strategies and analysed the results of satisfaction surveys. We provided training in evaluation for staff and parents.
Examples of work undertaken
- Evaluation of the Essential Steps to Employability project in Sunderland (with Roger Tym & Partners)
- Evaluation of the Emerge project, assisting start up businesses with high growth potential (with Durham University)
- Evaluation of the Solutions for Business scheme (with Durham University)
- Evaluation of the Be Franchising project (with Durham University)
- Evaluation and review of the Sunderland Job Linkage programme (with Roger Tym & Partners)
- Evaluation of Homes & Communities Agency pilot training courses and a train the trainer package
- Evaluation of Enterprising Futures – a project supporting business starts in hard-pressed areas of Sunderland
- Local evaluation of the Horden & Easington Colliery, Teesdale and Shildon & Newton Aycliffe West Sure Start programmes
- Evaluation of the East Durham Regeneration Partnership’s SRB programme, focusing on the development of partnership and alternative futures
- Evaluation of the South Bishop Auckland Regeneration Partnership’s SRB programme
- Evaluation of Sunderland SRB projects and programmes
- Evaluation of the GRASP project on graduate recruitment and retention in the volume manufacturing sector in the North East
- Evaluation of the effectiveness of productivity improvement interventions at JCB’s Cheadle and Uttoxeter plants
- Evaluation of a project matching graduates to the needs of SMEs – including identification of best practice and development of case studies
- A review of the North East Business and Innovation Centre and its impact
- Evaluation of the Settlement Renewal Initiative in County Durham
- Evaluation of a project on distance training for managers of SMEs in County Durham
- Evaluation of the costs and benefits of business networking in Sunderland
- Evaluations of business start-up and business incubator programmes in the North East and London