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Active Lifestyles Impact Evaluation
Wavehill is leading the evaluation of Active Lifestyles which is being undertaken for the Youth Sports Trust, an exciting new project aiming to help tackle the nation’s obesity problem through increasing the amount of sport and physical activity our least active young people undertake on a weekly basis. We will interview young people taking part in the activities, their trainers and the schools too. The study runs until January 2011.
Evaluation of the COASTAL project
Wavehill have been appointed by the City and County of Swansea to undertake an ongoing independent evaluation of COASTAL; a £27m project aimed at the promotion of vocational guidance, employment, skills training and lifelong learning opportunities for individuals who are currently economically inactive. COASTAL is funded by the European Commission’s Convergence Programme and is a regional project which covers the local authority areas of Bridgend, Neath Port Talbot, Gwynedd, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion.
Development of a Baseline for Regeneration Activities in the Severn Valley and Blaenau Ffestiniog Areas
The Welsh Assembly Government has appointed Wavehill to develop comprehensive baselines for the Severn Valley and Blaenau Ffestiniog areas, focusing on community perceptions of the two areas. This will enable Welsh Assembly to develop a clear picture of community perceptions at the present time, before key public-facing projects detailed within the Severn Valley Strategic Regeneration Plan and Blaenau Ffestiniog Strategic Regeneration Plan are delivered. The intention will be to revisit these baselines in future years, undertaking additional survey work to assess how perceptions have changed over time as a result of the Regeneration process.
Monitoring and Evaluating Individuals Started Trading
Wavehill recently completed a survey of over 6,400 individuals who, as part of the Start Up programme services delivered by the Welsh Assembly Government, accessed a non-growth pre-start service provided for individuals who are interested in starting their own business in Wales. Completed through March – April this year, Wavehill achieved a 76% success rate, the highest percentage achieved since the evaluation of this programme commenced.
Review of Equality & Diversity Support
Welsh Assembly Government has commissioned Wavehill and BMG Research to complete a review of the Equality & Diversity (E&D) support offered to Welsh SMEs as part of the Flexible Support for Business (FS4B) service. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the effectiveness of 2.5 days of Equality & Diversity support and to establish if the shift from 4.5 days to 2.5 days of support is meeting the needs of Welsh SMEs.
Study into Supporting Festivals, Events and the Cultural Industries in Powys
Glasu, an organisation part funded through the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2008 to 2013, has recently engaged Wavehill to undertake extensive research, data collection and strategic analysis into three areas of activity, festivals and events, the cultural industries and the creative industries in Powys.
The Evaluation of Pembrokeshire Fish Week
Wavehill is currently working with Pembrokeshire County Council to complete an evaluation of this year’s annual Pembrokeshire Fish Week festival based around the theme of ‘Fish’ which aims to attract tourism to the area in the shoulder season period at the end of June. With its strap line of ‘A Seriously Fishy Festival’, it is a unique festival which incorporates businesses and locations across the breadth of the county of Pembrokeshire, potentially bringing economic benefits to the local community. The results of this evaluation will assist the council in securing further funding support and sponsorship to ensure Pembrokeshire Fish Week continues in the future.
Evaluation of the ILM Project
Wavehill is evaluating the Intermediate Labour Market (ILM) project funded under Priority 2 Theme 1 of the Convergence and Regional Competitiveness and Employment (RCE) programme for the Welsh Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA). The aim of the ILM project is to reduce economic inactivity in North and East Wales by offering contracts to organisations providing personal development to people facing barriers to employment through a period of supported employment and training. As part of the evaluation we will assess whether the project is successfully reaching individuals furthest from the labour market.
Ongoing Evaluation of the Rural Development Plan for Wales
Wavehill, in partnership with EKOS and The Rural Development Company, have recently been awarded this contract on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government. The research objectives for this commission include a revision of the current data collection procedures for input and output indicators and to provide expert advice on evaluation activity on an ad-hoc basis.
Evaluation of Swansea Rural Business Plan 1 2008-2011
The Rural Development Plan (RDP) is one of the main European Programmes operational in Wales between 2007 - 2013 and is delivered via a number of local partnerships, one of which covers the rural areas of Swansea. Wavehill have been commissioned to undertake the ongoing evaluation of projects that are being delivered as part of the local RDP strategy in Swansea including activities in the tourism and agri-food sectors as well as support for the area’s young people.