Case Study:
Evidence of impact provides a successful kick-start for Birmingham and Solihull IAG Network
An impact assessment study undertaken by Marketry has been a huge success in kick-starting a client evaluation process to provide accurate data for the Learning Skills Council and to encourage good practice within the Information, Advice and Guidance Network partnership in Birmingham and Solihull.
The main objectives of this impact study were to determine how much the services provided by the IAG Network Partnership were known to their clients, to measure in detail what steps IAG clients had taken and the outcomes they had achieved, to determine whether the IAG service met their expectations and to identify significant trends and issues.
Other issues Marketry explored for the IAG network were why some clients showed a marked preference for some services over others, what clients felt the benefits of IAG were, whether they had taken any actions following their advice and if not, why not and potential barriers to the use of IAG services.
“We chose to work with Marketry after a strong recommendation from another IAG Partnership”, explained Suzanne. “Marketry understood our business and sector so I didn’t have to explain everything to the last detail to them. This meant that I didn’t have to waste valuable time going over what sort of data we needed to obtain”.
The project was very important to bringing an external and critical view of how the Learning Skills Council were running the IAG contract and the main thrust of the study was a self completion questionnaire which was returned by 260 people. To add more depth to the study, Marketry also undertook 40 qualitative telephone questionnaires. The data was presented in the form of a detailed report to Suzanne Morey, who was very impressed with the results.
“The findings of the project confirmed much of what we thought we knew but we didn’t have the evidence to quantify”, continued Suzanne. “All the staff at Marketry were very approachable and they delivered a very professional service. Critically, all the work they undertook was delivered on time”.
Since the project was undertaken the research findings have been presented to the Steering Group which oversees the IAG programme and Birmingham and Solihull IAG partnership have worked extensively on the results with delivery providers and local partners. The study has also been useful in showing that IAG users first found out about the service from a variety of sources, with the main ones being referrals from friends and passing by premises where the service is delivered. Advertising has also played a large part in getting IAG known in the area.
The trends from this research set the scene for developing services under the nextstep branding – information and advice for adults with particular emphasis on individuals qualified below NVQ 2.
