Evaluation of National Skills Academies - Year 1 Synthesis Report

This synthesis report presents findings from Year 1 of the National Skills Academies (NSAs) evaluation conducted by Ipsos MORI and the Institute for Employment Studies. The report brings together findings from three separate strands of research carried out during Year 1: a Preliminary Report (IES, February 2009), Stakeholder Research Report (IES, June 2009) and an Employer Survey (Ipsos MORI, July 2009).

The findings from this report provided a baseline for Year 2 of the evaluation, which included follow-up surveys with employers and stakeholders, as well as a survey of learners involved with NSAs and case studies of a number of academies.

The aim of the evaluation was to understand the added value generated by National Skills Academies, across the network and individually, and to assess whether they met the aims set out for them in the 2005 White Paper (‘Skills: getting on in business, getting on at work’, March 2005, DfES), the national prospectus and in individual business plans.