Case Study
Kent Partners Skills Programme
Key Features
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programme to develop more effective joint working
in the context of Kent Prospects and Kent Learning
strategies
top-down and bottom-up approach to needs analysis
use of occupational standards in identifying learning
needs and designing training
What Was the Stimulus?
Kent Prospects (economic development strategy) and Kent Learning (lifetime learning strategy) were
launched in July 1996 as 10 year strategies. Their development was driven by Kent County Council (KCC)
and Kent Training and Enterprise Council, working with a very wide range of interests, and accountable
for progress to the Kent Economic Forum and the Kent Forum for Lifetime Learning.
Following consultation, there was agreement amongst partners that skills, knowledge and competence in
partner organisations should be treated as a strategic issue. Without greater investment in this capacity, it
was felt that Kent would lose out, with partners having less impact on business development and area
regeneration, on job and learning opportunities, and on investment and resources secured for Kent.
How Was The Need Tackled?
The Partners Skills Programme (PSP) - part-funded by the Department for Education and Employment
as a national development project - was taken forward by a task group drawn from the partners in the two
strategies. It was concerned with raising both:
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individual capacity: the capability of partner staff and representatives to perform effectively, now
and in the future
institutional capacity: a function of organisational/ partnership resources, systems, culture and
ways of working
The group started by reviewing the main themes in the two strategies, asking:
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what new things do partners have to be able to do?
what things do partners have to do differently, and what do they have to do better?
what training and development needs fall from these?
This review identified common needs across partner organisations, relating to:
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strengthening the focus on customers and on results, ensuring that partners are highly
responsive to the needs of the people and organisations they serve or work with, with
policies and practices judged in terms of the outcomes of what they do, rather than their
 Makesfive ltd and EDuce ltd
www.makesfive.com
www.educe.co.uk
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Case Study: Kent Partners Skills Programme
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spending of budgets
embedding partnership working (consolidating the basis for collaboration, clarifying roles
and responsibilities, developing trust and mutual understanding)
developing skills in leadership, influence and managing change - all central to successful
economic development and lifelong learning practice
Other common needs, more related to operational requirements, included project and programme
management; engaging and sustaining private sector involvement; marketing of strategies and services;
and raising the quality of bids and business plans. A bottom-up dimension was encouraged by use of a
Project Management Training Needs Analysis tool. This tool was based on relevant occupational
standards and an analysis of skills and knowledge specific to economic development and lifelong learning
activities. The standards provided rigour in reviewing needs and the basis for a common language relating
to performance requirements across partner organisations, each with their own way of doing things.
The philosophy behind the programme was akin to “action learning”: focusing on practical needs and
issues of concern to policy-makers and practitioners and devising learning activities which helped them
tackle work priorities while learning at the same time. The task group decided to concentrate on inward
investment, sector development and regeneration as priorities, and set up a range of training and
development activities (training courses, facilitated workshops, etc) to address needs in these areas. Some
activities were geared specifically to senior decision-makers, to help win support for change, while others
were aimed at practitioners.
What Were the Outcomes?
Taking each priority in turn:
Inward Investment
An evaluation six months after the series of workshops found a range of learning and performance
outcomes, such as:
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greater understanding of the inward investment challenge (eg, a realistic appreciation of
prospects, what’s needed to secure investment for Kent)
better appreciation of partner roles and responsibilities - and dispelling “myths and
misunderstandings” which were hindering co-operation
progress in implementing proposals for co-ordinating inward investment activities
new collaboration between public and private sectors in handling enquiries
Sector Development
Outcomes of workshops with sector co-ordinators and partners included:
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a better understanding on the part of those involved of the role of sector co-ordinators and
the need for sector development partnerships
a new job profile and contractual requirements for co-ordinators
improved relationships between co-ordinators and partners
greater clarity about how the sector groups can influence partner activities, directly and
through the Kent Economic Forum
Managing Partnership Projects
Participants found the two-day training course valuable in developing their understanding of partnership
concepts, in introducing them to tools that they can apply in their own partnerships, and providing real
life case studies to compare with their own experience. Aspects of the course were subsequently built into
activities to meet the needs of specific partnerships, both new and existing.
Later development work included:
Makesfive ltd and EDuce ltd
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Case Study: Kent Partners Skills Programme
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reviewing action needed to co-ordinate and develop services in a one-stop shop
helping town centre managers review good practice
building a consortium of training providers to deliver the New Deal in Kent
promoting dialogue between providers and employers in West Kent to overcome skill
shortages.
The Partners Skills Programme formally ceased in 1999 when TEC funding of economic development
initiatives was withdrawn, pending the introduction of Individual Learning Accounts and the creation of
the Learning and Skills Council. However, it led to other initiatives, for example, two European Social
Fund projects, “Building Skills in Kent Charities” (management training in voluntary organisations) and
“Partnering 2000” (helping SMEs develop partnering skills, to make the most of collaborations with other
businesses and the public sector).
What Was Learnt?
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There is a continuing need to promote the value of learning activities to underpin effective
partnership working. Many partner organisations found that time for training and
development was at a great premium, in a context of diminishing resources and
overwhelming pressures to deliver. Greater interest was shown where the subject matter was
seen as urgent/ critical, rather than longer-term/ desirable.
A top-down initiative with have little impact if individuals do not feel that what is proposed
is a priority for them in helping them personally with their job or career - hence, the
introduction of the TNA tool and participant involvement in structuring the workshops and
courses delivered.
Successful outcomes from partnership working depend on key individuals creating the
environment for effective collaboration; reviewing together how their partnership is working
and how to improve it; and clarifying their own role, expectations and responsibilities
Skills Programme activities created new opportunities for networking within the county
which did not previously exist - across organisational boundaries and professional interests
Solihin Garrard
Makesfive ltd
contact@makesfive.com
www.makesfive.com
Makesfive ltd and EDuce ltd
Derrick Johnstone
EDuce ltd
educe@educe.co.uk
www.educe.co.uk
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