Key Documents

The information presented here is a more detailed look at the Birmingham Core Skills Development Partnership.

Partnership Documents

Evaluation of the Core Skills Development Partnership
1995-2003 was a major development phase for the Partnership. It involved us in a complex set of interacting activities and the investment of more than £28 million of development money. In this context the partners wanted to feel reassured from the beginning that, although we were testing new ground, most of what we were developing was going to lead to improved planned outcomes. Evaluation of our structures, our processes, our development activities, our approach to change etc was commissioned as an ongoing, integral part of our work programme. The evaluation focused on different aspects at different times. At the beginning it was more a matter of whether we were doing the right things in the right ways. In the central, most complex phase of the developments it was a case of establishing that we were offering value-for-money and that we were avoiding duplication, deadweight, displacement etc i.e. that we were being as efficient and effective as possible in a rapidly changing context. In the 2001-2004 period the evaluation sought to pull out lessons learnt.

Basic Skills Review

  • Basic Skills Review - Download (7 MB)
    The partnership was commissioned, by the local Learning and Skills Council, to review the state of play across Birmingham and Solihull in relation to adult basic skills. This included surveys of levels of need; indicated possible targets to achieve and developments needed and listed a set of proposed changes that have been picked up by partners and built into the basic skills development strands of their own development plans. This review was the first of its kind nationally and attracted considerable attention.

The Next Push Forward

  • The next push forward
    In 2003 the partners agreed the outline of the next broad development pushes needed if the area was to ‘get there’ in terms of its long term intentions by 2010. As in the 1996-2003 development period, this was described as actions needed under a small number of strategic objectives. Annual action plans to ‘bite off’ appropriate amounts of change each year would shape the development activities of the relevant partners.
  • The next push forward - Action Plan

Partnership Structure, Business Plans (1997-2003) and Annual Reports (1998-2001)

Adult Basic Skills Plan (2001-2003)