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Five Towns Network

Training events to improve shared knowledge

Keywords: South East, Skills, Leadership, Partnership Working

Overview

The 5 Towns Network was set up to help share best practice across five West Sussex towns that were separately developing regeneration plans. The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) recognised that the network offered an opportunity to identify what the skill requirements were to deliver these regeneration plans, what skills were already available and where there were gaps that needed plugging. SEEDA worked with the 5 Towns Network Manager to identify the skills and then introduced a training programme for the 5 Town Network to develop the abilities of officers and local authority members. Not only are staff now better informed, but the profile of the Network has been raised, generating interest from national agencies such as the Improvement and Development Agency and the Planning Advisory Service.

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The Egan Report highlighted a skills gap that could potentially delay regeneration work in the 5 Town Network. In order to address this, SEEDA funded a study to see how Learning Laboratory money could be used to develop a training program suitable for the 5 Towns Network. This study included workshops designed to identify skills gaps and suggest relevant solutions. The result was a list of skills that could then be developed locally rather than be bought in. More...

The project had one clear aim: to develop the expertise and knowledge needed to aid the regeneration of the 5 Towns Network (Shoreham-by-Sea, Worthing, Littlehampton, Bognor Regis and Selsey). This learning programme was to run in parallel with the masterplanning stage of regeneration, with the different authorities involved working together to learn from each other and share resources. More...

Over 100 individuals directly benefits from the learning programme. Their feedback showed a high level of satisfaction with the training experience, so much so that there is now a waiting list for places should the programme be repeated. Within the 5 Towns Network knowledge about sustainable communities is considerable more widespread, while the partner organisation have increased their skills and enlarged their capacity. More...

Summary

• 5 seaside towns in West Sussex recognised a need to improve skills and also that, by working more closely together, they could learn from each other and access resources more efficiently.

• The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) commissioned a scoping study from the British Urban Regeneration Association (BURA) to explore how this could best be done.

• A management group working through a Network Manager organised 12 training and development events to provide 180 learning opportunities for a minimum of 100 participants.

• Satisfaction levels amongst individual participants were high. Participants benefited from networking opportunities and enhanced skills in cross-disciplinary working, cross boundary working, engagement with councillors and delivery.

• The Network is seen as an exemplar. The heightened profile of the 5 towns has improved their opportunities to attract in additional funds and SEEDA is refining the model for use elsewhere in the region.

» Background

Background

The Egan Report demonstrated nationally what was recognised locally, that there were gaps in the skills and experience available that could achieve the vision for regeneration in the 5 Town Network. The ambition was to build capacity within the communities to support regeneration activities and minimise the need to buy in expertise on an ad-hoc basis.

SEEDA, under the banner of South East Excellence, was aware of the chance to access learning laboratory funds and recognised the 5 Town Network as being a suitable 'vehicle' to develop a training programme with. SEEDA funded a scoping study, which was undertaken by the British Urban Regeneration Association (BURA) in order to explore how these funds could best be utilised. The scoping study used workshops to explore what the current vision for each town was, what skills were required to deliver that vision, what the skills capacity was and where the gaps are.

Two workshops were organised and the main output from the workshops was a list of identified skills needs and appropriate learning styles that would fit the needs of the intended audience. The scoping study was augmented further by in-house research into the existing induction and training processes for officers and members in the local authorities comprising the 5 Town Network.

» The Project

Overview «

The Project

The project primarily focus was on the training and development of the stakeholders actively involved in the regeneration of five towns in West Sussex, which together made up the 5 Town Network. The Network includes the South East coastal towns of Selsey, Bognor Regis, Littlehampton, Worthing and Shoreham by Sea.

The learning programme was designed to run alongside the master planning/visioning exercises and capital programme that were underway in the 5 Town Network. These were being evolved to kick start the regeneration of the towns.

There was recognition that by working more closely together the different authorities involved could learn from each other and use and access resources more efficiently and effectively as they were all going through similar visioning/master planning processes, albeit at slightly different times. The 5 Town Network sought to embed a culture of joined-up working, between the different towns. The learning laboratory project aimed to supplement this with a programme of training and development.

Twelve training and development events were programmed to take place with a target to create 120 learning opportunities (as defined by the RDA tasking framework - 6 hours or more of training), and to have engaged 100 individuals in learning activity.

» The Impact

Background «

The Impact

The project exceeded its targets with 123 individuals engaged in activity with an uptake of 180 learning opportunities, which equate to 6 hours or more of training and development activity.

A review of returns from participants has indicated a high degree of satisfaction with the training. In addition, the 5 Town Network has a waiting list of people that want to do the training should it be repeated. The initial feedback from consultees was that the main benefits from the learning laboratory funded project included:

• improved networking;

• enthusiasm for making 'places' better;

• sharing of good practice;

• cross disciplinary working;

• cross boundary working;

• more effective delivery;

• new skills available locally; and

• ongoing engagement with councillors.

The Network and its partners expected to benefit from the increased skills and capacity within their organisations. Additional benefits generated largely through the involvement of key national organisations in the delivery of the programme included:

• the heightened profile of the 5 Town Network as an example of good practice;

• an enhanced and more informed debate on developing sustainable communities in coastal towns; and

• improved opportunities to lever in additional finance and expertise into the area.

Within the 5 Town Network, the partners appear to be more signed up to a culture of learning about sustainable communities. It is too early to say whether this has been embedded in the local authorities own training packages; however, the 5 Town Network and its activities was viewed as one of the significant success stories in the region - and an exemplar of good practice of cross-boundary working. The profile of the area has been heightened and other regions are visiting the 5 Town Network to learn from its success. An improved reputation and profile is also expected to have long-term benefits for the area.

» Lessons Learned

The Project «

Lessons Learned

A success factor appears to have been a dedicated Network Manager and an Management Group made up of representatives of each local authority, the Economic Partnership and SEEDA, which oversaw the 5 Town Network and the learning laboratory project from the beginning. This ensured appropriate design of the programme and assisted in the promotion of the training to potential participants.

With the benefit of success from the learning laboratory, SEEDA is actively looking to refine the model used for the 5 Town Network and develop it for other areas within the region.

As a result of this programme, links have been made to other national support agencies such as the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA). IDeA have since run a number of leadership training sessions in the 5 Town Network area to further support the capacity of the local authorities involved. The approach of bringing neighbouring local authorities together that have an interest in a sub-region, is an approach that could be learnt by others.

The compact programme with 12 events over 5 months due to the delay in approval from the funding body, was felt to be too intensive. This caused management difficulties and is perceived by one consultee to have potentially reduced the attractiveness of some development events as they came too quickly after a previous event.

Best bit of advice for running a similar learning programme..........

"Understanding the needs of the target audience was crucial to the success of the programme."

The investment in terms of both time and money on the scoping phase before any application for funds was submitted is viewed as key to the success of the project.

"Inter-linking the training and development programme with the capital programme was key to 'catching people’s interest' and therefore encouraged enthusiasm towards the opportunity to develop new skills."

» Reference

The Impact «