HOST Policy Research: Latest News
PRESS RELEASE
Date: 31 May 2010
Skills needs of food and drink manufacturing employers in Wales and Scotland
HOST has been awarded a new project by Improve, the Sector Skills Council for the food and drink industry. Aimed at exploring the skills needs of food and drink manufacturing employers in Wales and Scotland, the project will comprise a literature review and a series of interviews with selected employers in both countries.
The project is due to report in July 2010.
For further information: Further information can be obtained from Kenneth Walsh or Susan Sibley at HOST on 01403 211440 or info@hostpolicyresearch.com
PRESS RELEASE
Date: April 2010
International Labour Office - Global Dialogue Forum on Employment and Work in VET
HOST has been commissioned by the International Labour Office (ILO) to prepare two chapters for the forthcoming ‘international report on employment and work in vocational education and training’. The report will be discussed at a Global Dialogue Forum to be held in Geneva in September 2010 with representatives from across the world.
The first chapter, to be completed by HOST Executive Associate Kenneth Walsh, will examine the key trends in the scale and composition of the remuneration package following developments in the way teachers and trainers work – affected by such developments as the use of technology and the working environment.
HOST Executive Associate Professor David Parsons will take the lead on the second chapter. This will focus on the role and influence of social dialogue on the development of working terms and conditions of teachers and trainers in vocational education and training and will cover both consultative and negotiation/collective bargaining processes.
Speaking about the project, Kenneth Walsh said that ‘HOST has done previous international work on teachers and trainers in the European Union and this new study for the ILO represents an opportunity to discover more about developments worldwide’.
PRESS RELEASE
Date: March 2010
LSIS asks HOST Policy Research to conduct a second phase of research into management skills, development and training
In order that LSIS can continue to offer different types of management support throughout the learning and skills sector HOST Policy Research was asked to conduct a review of existing evidence about management skills and qualifications and seek the views of organisations and network forums on current and predicted trends. Following a review of the final report which was delivered in January 2010, LSIS has asked HOST to conduct further survey research to fill knowledge gaps and obtain more detail on the views of junior and middle managers.
According to Valerie Rowe, HOST’s Project Director: ‘We obtained a great deal of information from reviewing literature, past and ongoing LSIS research and discussions with key stakeholders. However, the results clearly identified some knowledge gaps in relation to specific sub-sectors such as managers involved in Offender Learning and the Third Sector and LSIS felt further research was necessary to obtain more detail.’
After Easter HOST will be conducting a series of e-surveys and follow-up interviews, with a view to reporting back to LSIS at the end of June 2010.
For further information: Further information on the project can be obtained from Susan Sibley at HOST on 01403 211440 or info@hostpolicyresearch.com.
PRESS RELEASE
Date: March 2010
Skills for Care and Skills for Health award HOST a major evaluation contract
Skills for Care working jointly with Skills for Health have awarded HOST Policy Research a major evaluation contract. HOST is to conduct an evaluation of the impact of a training intervention on behaviour towards carers and delivery of services to carers by workers (predominantly health and social care staff) who have undertaken the training.
‘We already hold a framework agreement with Skills for Health and are delighted to be working with them and to welcome Skills for Care to our portfolio of clients,’ says Dorothy Berry-Lound, Project Director. ‘One of the things the team likes about this project is that it is going to be something of a challenge! We need to combine regional survey work with training recipients and carers on a rolling basis in order to measure the baseline for the impact assessment, the situation on completion of the training and a follow-up some three months after completion.’
The project will also include regional focus groups and discussions and a final report is due in June 2011.
For further information: Further information on the project can be obtained from Susan Sibley at HOST on 01403 211440 or info@hostpolicyresearch.com.
PRESS RELEASE
Date: February 2010
DWP asks HOST Policy Research to conduct quarterly survey work in support of the development of a Delivery Balanced Scorecard.
Following the award of a framework agreement with the Department of Work and Pensions towards the end of 2009, HOST was approached to conduct a series of quarterly e-surveys in support of the development of a Delivery Balanced scorecard.
‘This is new territory for DWP and it has taken some time to get the initial design of the pilot in place. We plan to conduct two pilots to ensure we have got the approach right before formally putting the quarterly surveys in place later in the year.’
For further information: Further information on the project can be obtained from Susan Sibley at HOST on 01403 211440 or info@hostpolicyresearch.com.
PRESS RELEASE
Date: January 2010
The project is an evaluation of the EUSR Water Schemes. The schemes to be evaluated are:
- Water hygiene.
- DOMS.
- Leakage.
- NCO (Water)
- Confined Spaces (Water).
- Utility SHEA (Water).
According to Dorothy Berry-Lound, Project Director: ‘The aim of the research is to understand how well these schemes meet the expectation of employer users’. The methodology for the evaluation is currently being finalized but is likely to include an e-survey of employers and selected in-depth telephone interviews. The project is due to be completed by the end of February 2010.
For further information: Further information on the project can be obtained from Susan Sibley at HOST on 01403 211440 or info@hostpolicyresearch.com.
PRESS RELEASE
Date: November 2009
Review of Management Qualifications and Management Training Needs in the Learning and Skills Sector for LSIS
In order that LSIS can continue to offer different types of management support throughout the learning and skills sector HOST Policy Research has been commissioned to conduct a review of existing evidence about management skills and qualifications and seek the views of organisations and network forums on current and predicted trends.
HOST will report back to LSIS in mid January 2010.
For further information: Further information on the project can be obtained from Susan Sibley at HOST on 01403 211440 or info@hostpolicyresearch.com.
PRESS RELEASE
Date: October 2009
HOST is awarded a new project by Energy and Utility Skills Limited
HOST has been awarded a project under its framework agreement with the Energy and Utility Sector Skills Council (EU Skills).
The project is an evaluation of Phases 1, 2 and 3 of the Women and Work Programme. This initiative forms part of government’s response to the Women and Work Commission report Shaping a Fairer Future (February 2006) and is intended to test new recruitment and career pathways for women. Project Director Dorothy Berry-Lound says: ‘The aim of the evaluation is to gain an understanding of the benefits that have arisen to participating employers and employees. To that end our methodology will include a review of registrant data and e-surveys of employers and employees who have been involved in the programme’.
The Women and Work Programme evaluation is due to complete 18 December 2009.
PRESS RELEASE
Date: June 2009
HOST wins new framework agreement with Skills for Health
HOST has been awarded a new framework agreement with Skills for Health, the Sector Skills Council.
Dorothy Berry-Lound, HOST’s Managing Director, said: ‘We are delighted to be awarded a framework agreement with Skills for Health. This continues our long-running association with Sector Skills Councils which has included developing research strategies and designing impact evaluations for individual SSCs. We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with Skills for Health’.
For further information: Further information can be obtained from Susan Sibley at HOST on 01403 211440 or info@hostpolicyresearch.com.
PRESS RELEASE
Date: June 2009
HOST wins new project for the Learning and Skills Council National Office
HOST has been awarded a project to conduct a National Evaluation of the Qualification and Curriculum Framework (QCF) Unit Funding Trials. This project is for the Learning and Skills Council National Office and will be led by Professor David Parsons and Dr Jane Holland.
According to Professor Parsons:
‘The evaluation will use a variety of front-line formative evaluation methods to review: the approach to funding units in the QCF and its alignment with national policy to engage hard-to-reach learners and to improve progression to full qualifications; and to respond to the issues facing SMEs in the current economic downturn. It will also look at the operational processes at provider level that may impact on the delivery of the trials and the wider implications for policy.’
The review is due to complete in early spring 2010.
For further information: Further information can be obtained from Susan Sibley at HOST on 01403 211440 or info@hostpolicyresearch.com.
PRESS RELEASE
Date: 5 May 2009
HOST Policy Research is awarded new Social and Economic Research Framework with the Department for Work and Pensions and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs
Following an extensive tendering process, HOST has been awarded a new social and economic research framework agreement with the DWP and HMRC. This covers three main areas:
- Ageing and Pensions.
- General Labour Market research, Integrating Employment and Skills and Welfare to Work Programme Evaluation.
- Commissioning, Performance and Business Delivery.
Dorothy Berry-Lound, Managing Director of HOST stated: “We are delighted to welcome DWP/HMRC to our portfolio of clients with which we hold a framework agreement. We look forward to the opportunity of working with these departments and contributing to future policy and programme developments.”
The framework agreement commences from 1 July 2009 for two years with a possible extension for a further two years.
For further information: Further information can be obtained from Susan Sibley at HOST on 01403 211440 or info@hostpolicyresearch.com