Evaluation of Working Minds Working Minds is a city-wide Leeds project specialising in working with people who have experience of mental health difficulties to access and sustain employment related opportunities. Research Toolkit was commissioned by the Project Managers at Working Minds to conduct an evaluation of its effectiveness from the perspective of service users, employers and the Board members of Working Minds.

 

 

The Skills Passport Employability Programme at the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Following from a successful Yorkshire Forward/NHS funded Employability pilot at the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the Trust developed their own 'Skills passport' initiative in 2009. This evalaution tells the story of that programme through the evidence provided from participant group interviews and individual story-telling sessions. The interviews and story-telling sessions formed the basis for the case studies included in the report, and also for the accompanying DVD. This evalaution work was commissioned by the Sheffield Work and Skills Board (2009).

 

The 'How Science Works' Project This project helped sixth form students to develop skills relevant to the ‘How Science Works’ content of A-Level science subjects. It has been supported via funding from Yorkshire Forward (the Regional Development Agency), The Independent/State School Partnership and the Excellence Hub (for Gifted and Talented Youth) and Aimhigher. There were 100 places for Year 12 students in Calderdale who were engaged in Science A Levels. Skills developed as part of the project activity included: communication (e.g. contribute to debates about scientific claims, present orally and in written form), ICT (use of different sources to extract/retrieve/select appropriate information), working with others (e.g. understanding collaborative skills), improving own learning (e.g. critical thinking, reflection and independent learning skills); and problem solving (working issues through, with others, and developing solutions).

Parents and carers: a report outlining activities and strategies available across West Yorkshire to support Parents and Carers in developing their own educational aspirations, as well as those of their children There is an extensive body of research which confirms that the role of parents and carers as key stakeholders in the education of children and young people is indisputable. This evaluation work captured the essence of a range of positive approaches to working with parents and carers from across the West Yorkshire region. This evalaution work was funded by Aimhigher West Yorkshire (2010).

 

Beyond the Boundaries: the impact of Aimhigher in Leeds This is research project about the history, development and impact of one Aimhigher programme, Aimhigher Leeds. The textbook produced as part of this work attempted to capture some of the richness, intensity and determination of its workers, co-ordinators and managers' experiences, as they endeavoured to make sure that the children of one major northern city had all the support, encouragement and resources they needed to aim for their highest possible attainment levels. This research project was funded by Aimhigher Leeds (2009).

 

 

The Campus Calderdale Enterprise Programme This five-week programme was tailored to the specific needs of gifted and talented youngsters in the Calderdale area of West Yorkshire. The programme comprised three Workshop Days and a series of related online activities, using Research Toolkit Limited’s own online learning space. The online learning environment developed and managed by Research Toolkit Limited enables learners to: Uutilise a range of idea generation and creative problem solving techniques; Develop a greater understanding of what it means to be enterprising and entrepreneurial; Become more effective networkers and negotiators of time and other resources; Work in teams to produce a solution to a real-life business issue; Devekop skills in marketing and marketing planning; and Improve their presentation technique and skills.

 

Work and Health: Changing People's Lives This is an evaluation of the Yorkshire and the Humber NHS Regional Employability Programme, supported by Yorkshire Forward, which has established projects for economically inactive people to access training and work placements in their local hospitals and facilities, with many entering substantive employment both in the NHS and other sectors of the economy. The project was commissioned by NHS/Yorkshire Forward (2008).

 

 

 

Commercial Awareness: what it means to employers and students A research project focusing upon a pilot study exploring views, perceptions and understandings of the term commercial awareness. It draws upon data from a number of sources: research and practitioner-based literature, interviews with graduate employers, and interviews/discussions with current University students. This research work was commissioned by the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (2008).

 

 

 

How do they picture themselves now? A survey of graduates from the Yorkshire and Humber region exploring career aspirations and employment. This survey work was conducted on behalf of Graduates Yorkshire (2007)

Entrepreneurial intentions survey This substantial research project surveyed over 7,000 University students in the North of England, seeking their views on their entrepreneurial intentions. This project was funded by the Centre for Graduate Entrepreneurship in Yorkshire (2007).