What were we trying to do?
Within an overarching aim of finding ways of securing greater cost-effectiveness in the FE Sector through collaboration and by sharing services, Phase One of this project sought to :
· provide a basis for ensuring that the research which has taken place already into FE Colleges’ collaboration and shared services work is matched by research into collaboration among local authority and third sector adult learning providers;
· map existing collaboration/shared services work within and between local authority and third sector adult learning providers, where identified - looking initially at 39 examples of shared services and collaboration between local authority providers and third sector providers, with each other and with FE sector colleges
· identify gaps to provide a basis for proposing projects for further support
Use this research to evolve a basis for providing funding to enable further development of around 10- 12 specific Shared Services Projects and to report on the findings and impacts
Phase Two of the project drew on the initial findings of Phase One and extended the research to the three areas:
Strand 1- A report on the barriers found by Shared Services Projects in this part of the sector, and how these barriers have been tackled
Strand 2- Research into Specialist Designated Institutions in London, as examples of Collaboration Hubs. Four SDIs were funded to report on how they function effectively to stimulate and enable collaboration to improve reach, quality, capacity, learner outcomes and reduce costs
Strand 3 - Research into third sector consortia: what makes them work and what stops them happening?
Who was involved?
The work was funded via 157 Group, managing this strand of activity on behalf of the Collaboration and Shared Services Board; the project delivery and management undertaken by OHA Ltd on behalf of HOLEX (the national membership organisation for adult learning providers), as part of a collaboration between HOLEX, the National Institute for Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) and the Third Sector National Learning Alliance (TSNLA). All four membership bodies are represented on the Steering Group for the whole project.
When did this happen?
Phase One started in October 2011 and continued through the calendar year 2012; Phase Two was delivered from January to August 2013
Documents:
Project Bulletin 5
Summary of Community learning Shared Services publicised to HOLEX membership June 2013: PowerPoint
Summary of Phase One Mapping and Gapping of Shared Services Projects in Local Authorities and Third Sector: Mapping and Gap Analysis Final Report
Summary of Pathfinder and Challenge Fund Projects funded by the Steering Group: Report to steering group