This blog draws on work undertaken as part of the Big Lottery Fund Talent Match Evaluation and Learning Contract. The National Evaluation is led by CRESR, Sheffield Hallam University and the research on which this is based involves IER at the University of Warwick as well as City-REDI, University of Birmingham. The blog has been … Continue reading “How Key Workers can help young people progress towards work”
Category: Policy
What Poverty really looks like in the UK
In 2012, the UK had a higher poverty rate than most EU member states. While poverty rates have declined since then, this progress is now at risk since policy changes under the 2017 Autumn Budget. UK Poverty 2017 underlines that “overall 14 million people live in poverty in the UK – over one in five … Continue reading “What Poverty really looks like in the UK”
Commonwealth 2022 – How to maximise the impact of Mega Events
The Commonwealth Games coming to Birmingham have the potential to be a catalyst for change, the challenge is to maximise that change within the demanding timescales. Looking to past mega events and evaluations can help us quickly adapt and adopt best practice and make decisions at speed. Yesterday morning I was part of a panel … Continue reading “Commonwealth 2022 – How to maximise the impact of Mega Events”
Women in Economic Development Research – Why the Woman’s Voice is Crucial: Part 4, View from an Experienced Researcher
City-REDI has published a series of blogs celebrating women in economic development and the contribution we make. They are inspired by the current experience of City-REDI which is pretty unusual in its numbers of women at all levels in the team; from senior management and leading academics, through to early career researchers and project support. … Continue reading “Women in Economic Development Research – Why the Woman’s Voice is Crucial: Part 4, View from an Experienced Researcher”
The new Tigger-like Philip Hammond: a bounce too far?
Along comes March 13 2018, and with Spring comes a new form of commentary by the Chancellor on the state of UK Plc. There was an obvious spring in this statement, driven by the slightly faster growth rate of the UK economy. There are perhaps two points to consider from the Spring statement. The first … Continue reading “The new Tigger-like Philip Hammond: a bounce too far?”
Part A: The Causes of Carillion’s Collapse
Racing to secure bids over rival construction companies, Carillion, the second-largest construction firm in the UK, hit a financial tipping point, lost the backing of the banks and collapsed. Its aggressive growth strategy and the diversification of its business portfolio increased the complexity of its internal structure. Coupled with poor oversight of its day-to-day operations, … Continue reading “Part A: The Causes of Carillion’s Collapse”
Brexit: Local and Devolved Government
This week the new report Brexit: Local and Devolved Government has been launched. The report considers not only what happened in the EU referendum itself but also the consequences of Brexit at the sub-national level. The report was launched to coincide with The UK in a Changing Europe’s conference Brexit: local and devolved government, which … Continue reading “Brexit: Local and Devolved Government”
Shaping apprenticeships to employer, economic and individual young people’s needs – does too much reform bring risks?
Apprenticeships have a long history in England. They have their roots in medieval craft guilds. Children went away to live with host families for the purpose of being taught the skills associated with a craft. The 1563 Statute of Artificers marked the first national system of apprenticeship training in England. The Statute required seven years … Continue reading “Shaping apprenticeships to employer, economic and individual young people’s needs – does too much reform bring risks?”
Snow, Snow, Glorious Snow: Funding and Financing Local Infrastructure in the UK
Snow, snow, glorious snow. The UK is currently experiencing the impacts of the ‘beast from the east’ as cold air from Russia and eastern Europe creates the conditions that produce, in many parts of the UK, transport chaos. This type of periodic weather disruption to infrastructure is a reminder of how reliant we are on … Continue reading “Snow, Snow, Glorious Snow: Funding and Financing Local Infrastructure in the UK”
Birmingham Economic Review 2017: Conclusion
The Birmingham Economic Review was produced in October 2017 by City-REDI, the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and the West Midlands Growth Company. The review highlights the current strengths and weakness of the Birmingham economy, as well as looking at the opportunities and threats that might impact upon it in the future. This is Chapter 12 of The Review, the … Continue reading “Birmingham Economic Review 2017: Conclusion”