NWIEP Year 1 2008/2009 Annual Performance Highlight Report
Project Title: Fusion Cumbria Learning Lab
Lead Officer: Lucy Black
Date: 24 June 2009
Project Allocation: £85,000
Final Project Spend: £95,026
1. Achievements
a. What milestones were reached by the project?
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Carlisle City Council agreed commissioning
CRED (University of Cumbria) proposals went to Project Board for approval
Project Board approved plans Design & Planning workshops and CVS course
Outcomes and outputs for the theme agreed by Steering Group
Completed delivery of the Design & Built Environment workshops
Learning Materials for Leadership Programme completed
Learning Materials for How to Mentor completed
Learning Materials for Sustainable Communities workshops completed
Learning Materials for Design & Planning workshops completed
Sharing Your Learning Briefing Paper and Presentation developed and distributed
Follow up phone calls for Sharing Your Learning done to check effectiveness
Discussion forums set up on IDeA Community of Practice website for Leadership Programme
Completed delivery of the Design & Planning workshops
Completed delivery of the Leadership Programme
Completed delivery of the Sustainable Communities workshops
Completed delivery of the How to Mentor workshop
Completed Q2, Q3 and Q4 PMFs, RAGs, Highlight reports and financial claims
Fusion Newsletters produced each quarter
Contributions to CIEP Communique produced regularly
NWIEP Case Study developed and printed, and delivered to NWIEP Strategic Forum meeting
held in Cumbria 29 April 2009
E-survey agreed and being distributed
b. What ouputs were generated by the project?
CIEP Fusion Activities
‘Design & the Built Environment’ workshops
(Jerry Spencer)
‘Design & Planning workshops’
(Jerry Spencer / CPTS)
‘Skills in Sustainable Communities’ course
(CVS)
‘Certificate in Leading Sustainable
Communities’ (Raising Our Game)
‘How to Mentor’ workshops (CRED)
Sharing Your Learning Briefing Paper &
Presentation (CRED)
‘Sustainable Communities’ workshops
(CRED)
‘Leadership Programme’ (CRED)
Output Target
3 events with
30 attendees at each
4 events with
35 participants at each
1 cohort with
14 participants
1 cohort with
21 graduates
2 events with
20 participants at each
Briefing Paper &
Presentation
4 events with
30 participants at each
8 events with
20 participants at each
Actual
3 events with
29, 33 and 23 participants
4 events with
9, 9, 13 and 6 participants
1 cohort with
10 participants
1 cohort with
21 graduates
1 event with
8 participants
Developed. Delivered at: D&BE 24/2; all D&P,
Sus Comms and Mentoring events; Leadership
Programme workshop 1 (x3)
3 events with
10, 8 and 8 participants
6 events with 12, 12, 14, 11, 11 and 9
participants
c.
What outcomes were achieved by the project? How are these measured?
Programme Outcomes
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Outcome 1: The CIEP Fusion programme is successful in targeting and attracting
individuals working in areas that are likely to influence the targets for the National
Indicators addressing worklessness, business and skills (153, 171, 63 and 165) as
specified in the Cumbria Local Area Agreement
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Outcome 2: The extent to which involvement in CIEP Fusion activities has made these
individuals (including Elected Members) more confident in their capacity to deliver on
the targets addressing worklessness, business and skills (153, 171, 163 and 165) as
specified in the Cumbria Local Area Agreement
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Outcome 3: Raise the knowledge and skills of key change agents to enable them to
contribute towards improved performance in the National Indicators addressing
worklessness, business and skills (153, 171, 163 and 165) as specified in the Cumbria
Local Area Agreement
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Outcome 4: Provide opportunities for key change agents within all levels of local
government and across other organisations engaged in delivering economic
development and regeneration in Cumbria to come together in order to facilitate
collaboration / partnership working and sharing of knowledge, skills and ideas
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Outcome 5: Enable key change agents to share information gained though CIEP
Fusion with colleagues both within and across organisations
An e-survey is currently being implemented to measure the achievement of outcomes. The data from
the e-survey will be combined with information about the participants and their organisations, and
data from the rapid response feedback sheets to produce a Final Report in September 2009.
However, currently, we can highlight that 168 individuals from 53 organisations have participated in
the learning opportunities provided by CIEP Fusion Cumbria and therefore Outcome 4 has been
addressed. In addition, a Sharing Your Learning Briefing Paper and Presentation has been delivered
to participants, and will also be available on the CIEP web-site (www.ciep.org.uk) to enable
participants to “share information gained through CIEP Fusion with colleagues both within and
across organisations” (Outcome 5) and therefore it has also been addressed. However, there are
further questions in the e-survey to measure the development collaboration / partnership working and
how often sharing of information occurs.
d. What outcomes are expected to have been achieved by the project, but which will need future
confirmation?
All outcomes are expected to have been achieved to some extent by the end of the project (last
learning opportunity delivered 9 June), and these achievements will be measured by the e-survey
which will be distributed until mid-July 2009 (there is a time-lag between attendance at events and the
e-survey being distributed in order to allow participants to use and reflect on knowledge and skills
gained through participation in the programme). However, in the longer-term, impacts of the
programme on the LAA indicators addressing worklessness, business and skills (153, 171, 163 and
165) will be difficult to identify, and will only become evident if the indicators show improvement.
2. Knowledge
a. What knowledge and learning has been generated by this project?
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Theoretical knowledge regarding leadership, Sustainable Communities in the contexts of Tourism
and Business, mentoring, methods of sharing learning, and technical knowledge regarding design
and planning.
Practical skills in Creative Thinking / Participatory Appraisal techniques and soft skills for built
environment professionals.
Knowledge about developing a complex learning programme
b. How has this knowledge already been shared?
Knowledge has been shared by participants with their colleagues both within their own organisations
and across organisations that they work with. In addition, the Project Management team share
information about Fusion at CIEP Board and Thematic meetings, and across their organisations /
partnerships e.g. Cumbria Information Observatory Research and Analysis Group. Learning from
and about the programme is also disseminated at conferences and in the regular Fusion Newsletters
which are produced quarterly. Lucy Black, Frank Peck and Flo Bell are attended the 9th Regeneration
Management Research Network conference at Lancaster University on 25 th June. Frank Peck will be
presenting one of the keynote speeches entitled “Innovation and knowledge exchange: Connecting
communities of interest in regeneration” which will refer to the delivery of the CIEP Fusion
programme. Other presentations address participatory budgeting, knowledge exchange and
professional autonomy.
c.
How might knowledge be further shared in the future?
Through dissemination by participants to their colleagues both within their own organisation and
across organisations that they work with. In addition, information about and learning from the
programme will be disseminated at conferences and in newsletters which have links with CIEP
Fusion. For example, Flo Bell will also be presenting a paper at the University of Cumbria Research
Fest on 15 July entitled “Embedding innovative thinking into the public sector: the case of Fusion
Cumbria” which will be based on an analysis of the data gathered during the original Fusion
programme, and there will be an article in the forthcoming Cumbria Observatory Newsletter about the
CIEP Fusion Leadership Programme which staff from the Observatory participated in as local
experts.
3. Engagement
a. Please explain how you have engaged and worked with other RIEP programmes
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Martyn Staveley, Chair of the CIEP Fusion Steering Group made a presentation about the Economic
Development and Regeneration Theme at the Launch Event for CIEP on 10 th October. In addition, Flo
Bell and Martyn Staveley ran a session about the Theme at the Launch Event.
Lucy Black, CIEP Programme Manager and Fusion Manager, has regularly attended the Project Board
meetings for the other CIEP themes: Community Empowerment and Neighbourhood Working Theme;
Transformational Government and The Citizen; Efficiency.
Lucy Black has also attended the Cumbria Planning Training Scheme meetings.
Flo Bell (CRED) met up with Lorrainne Smyth of the Community Empowerment and Neighbourhood
Working theme and Jacqui Issatt, Support Officer for the Transformational Government and The Citizen
theme, to discuss areas of common interest between CIEP Fusion and these other themes.
Publicity for CIEP Fusion events is distributed to individuals on other CIEP thematic distribution lists.
The CIEP Fusion Project Board considered the possibility of delivering the PLAN-IT courses in Cumbria –
PLAN-IT is a NWIEP delivered course.
Cumbria hosted the NWIEP Strategic Forum Meeting on April 29. In preparation, case studies for each
CIEP theme were prepared and presented at the Board Meeting by the Vice Chair of CIEP (Jim Savege).
b. Please explain how you have engaged and worked with other sector and non-sector partners
CIEP Fusion has worked with a number of sector and non-sector partners: the Fusion Steering Group includes
representation from the University of Cumbria, all Cumbrian Local Authorities, West Cumbria Partnership and
Cumbria Vision. The Fusion Reference Group includes representation from a wide range of public, private and
Third sector organisations engaged in the delivery of economic development, regeneration and sustainable
communities in Cumbria. The Design and Planning workshop series were delivered in conjunction with the
Cumbria Planning Training Scheme (CPTS). Regular updates regarding CIEP are provided to the Cumbria HR
Managers Group, the Chief Economic Development Officers Group (CEDOG), and the Chief Executives Group.
Local expertise was used wherever possible to deliver events, including University of Cumbria, Routes to Work,
West Lakes Renaissance, Regen NE Copeland, Carlisle City Council, Riverside (Carlisle Housing Association),
the Cumbria Information Observatory, the Tourism and Conservation Partnership, LDNPA, West Cumbria
Partnership, Cumbria Drugs and Alcohol Service, Barrow Borough Council and the Council for Voluntary Service
in Barrow. We have also engaged and worked with a number of external training providers: Raising Our Game,
PEANuT (Northumbria University), Rene Barrett and Jerry Spencer.
4. Exceptions
a. Are there any items that were planned during the year that have not been delivered?
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The Leadership Programme Workshop 1, planned to be held in Barrow on 14 March, had to be cancelled
due to lack of numbers.
The Sustainable Communities workshop, planned to be delivered in Barrow on 28 April, had to be
cancelled due to lack of numbers.
The How to Mentor workshop, planned to be delivered on 23 April, had to be cancelled due to lack of
numbers. This was rearranged for 9 June and successfully delivered on that date.
The Leadership Programme workshop, planned to be held in Barrow on 14 May, had to be cancelled due
to lack of numbers.
The Fusion Steering Group Meeting, planned for 16 June, had to be cancelled due to a number of
apologies. This has been rescheduled for early September when the evaluation of the programme will be
complete.
b. Are there any unintended benefits, outputs or outcomes that have been delivered?
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The Programme Management team have gained new knowledge and skills, both through organising
and delivering the programme, and participating in the events. These can now be used in daily work,
and will therefore have an ongoing impact through several organisations.
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Based on experience of non-attendance during the previous Fusion programme, we have made a
charge for non-attendance with less than 3 days notice for the CIEP Fusion programme, and
therefore gained experience in imposing such charges, and therefore reducing the cost of the
programme.
c.
Please describe the overall impact any exceptions are understood to have had on the level of
outcomes delivered by the project
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The lack of participants in Barrow, resulting in the cancellation of 3 planned events, means that the
Fusion programme has had less impact in the District of Barrow-in-Furness than originally planned.
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The cancellation of one of the Mentoring workshops means that the Raising Our Game graduates
from the original Fusion programme (who these events were targeted at) have had fewer
opportunities to consolidate the networks they built up during their studies and to share their
experiences of using the knowledge and skills they gained through their participation in Fusion than
originally planned.
5. Summary
a. Overall, has this project achieved what it intended to?
Initial feedback from the rapid response feedback sheets completed by participants at events appears to
suggest that the Fusion programme has raised the knowledge and skills of key change agents to enable
them to contribute towards improved performance in the NIs addressing worklessness, business and
skills as specified in the Cumbria LAA. The programme has also achieved the outcomes related to
providing opportunities for key change agents to come together and in equipping them with tools by which
to share their learning. However the analysis of the data obtained from the e-survey distributed as part of
the Action Research Programme will confirm the achievements of the programme.
b. Is there any further support that the NWIEP could offer, or could have offered, that could have
enhanced this project further?
It would be useful if NWIEP, through CIEP, can support the Fusion Steering Group in bidding for funding
to enable the Fusion programme to be delivered over the next few years. This will consolidate the
progress which has been made in encouraging collaboration and sharing of knowledge and skills. The
CIEP Board has already been approached in this regard, and an initial action plan agreed.