Final Evaluation of the Somerset Skills Alliance

The brief: We were commissioned by Business Link Somerset, the LSC and the SWERDA to produce an independent and final evaluation of the achievements and impact of the Somerset Skills Alliance.

The brief identified the following areas they wished the evaluation to focus on:

  • The development and management of the SSA’s countywide partnership;
  • The SSA’s impact on the skills priovision supply chain in Somerset;
  • Innovations and new developments arising from the SSA project;
  • Lessons learned from the demand-led engagement of employers;
  • Lessons learned from engaging and servicing learge numbers of small SMEs;
  • The employers perceptions of the SSA’s services and impact;
  • The development/sustainability of the SSA’s sector projects/groups/networks; and
  • The SSA’s legacy to the skills brokering market and how this could be built upon for the benefit of future skills initiatives

The approach involved consultation with funders, the SSA project team, stakeholders, employers, provider and learners, based around the balanced scorecard approach.

The evaluation found that the project was unique in its conception and has successfully delivered its three key aims of a collaborative approach, establishing a skills brokerage service and engaging with previously disengaged SMEs.

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