Sustainable communities online workshops
We were commissioned by the HCA Academy (formerly the Academy for Sustainable Communities) to design, develop and deliver five new online workshops providing an introduction to various aspects of sustainable communities. The workshops have been developed for the Moodle learning environment, and they form a series under the title of “In a Nutshell…”
Following extensive remodelling, the workshops were again made available through the Academy’s learning site, and we delivered them to participants from a variety of interested organisations across England.
We have recently made further improvements to the In a Nutshell workshops, and they are now available to learners across the Country, supported by a pool of trained tutors. We have also developed student and tutor guides to aid delivery and the maintenance of quality standards.
You can find out more about the ‘In a Nutshell’ workshops at www.hcaacademy.co.uk/courses/nutshell
You can find out more about the work of the HCA Academy, which is now part of the Homes & Communities Agency at www.hcaacademy.co.uk.
train&sustain
We were commissioned by the HCA Academy to design and develop a sustainable communities resource for trainers. This comprised a guide, workshop presentation, trainer manual and supporting resources all housed on a single USB memory stick. We worked with our long-term partners at Gainford Design Associates LLP to deliver the product. Train&sustain has subsequently been used in a variety of seminars and workshops, and has been piloted through a number of organisations across England.
We are currently undertaking a major overhaul of train&sustain so that it can be made available online. Innovation 4 Enterprise are responsible for the technical aspects of the project.
You can find out more about the train&sustain product at www.hcaacademy.co.uk/courses/train–and–sustain
New Performance Framework: lean thinking
We have been assisting NA Consultants Limited with the design, development and testing of a suite of courses on aspects of lean thinking. These are intended to contribute towards the lean thinking component of the New Performance Framework for public sector organisations – specifically local government and the health service.
The initial product was a three day workshop, providing a Lean Foundation, and linked to a BTEC Certificate. We designed and developed a session plan, tutor guide and learner’s workbook. The workshop is currently being delivered at sites across England.
SES systems and procedures
We were commissioned to carry out an in-depth review of the systems and procedures used by SES (formerly Social Enterprise Sunderland) to implement their packages of support for small businesses and social enterprises. SES focuses on the encouragement of enterprise in disadvantaged areas and groups.