Research services

Tender description

The Welsh Government is looking to commission the evaluation of ‘Communities for Work’, an EU-funded employment/employability programme in Wales. This specification outlines the requirement. The aim of the contract is to provide Welsh Government with timely, robust information on the implementation and outcomes of the Communities for Work (CfW) operation across Wales. The time-scale for the study will also enable some assessment of the gross effects of the intervention. The findings will be used to inform the decision to extend the life of CfW for a further year. The programme is in its early stages and it will be some time before a robust assessment of long-term outcomes can be made. Thus, the proposed research focuses on the way that CfW has been established, how well it is being administered and how effectively it is identifying and engaging with local employers and the intended clientele and helping them to overcome barriers to work, to acquire job-relevant skills and to take up job-relevant opportunities. The proposed evaluation will provide a timely indication of how closely the structure and operation of the scheme matches expectations and of its value in helping improve the target groups' employability and movement into sustained employment. It will provide the basis for recommendations for improvement to the scheme's design, resourcing and mode of operation and add depth to the WEFO-commissioned outcome evaluation. The contract will be managed by Welsh Government officials, referred to throughout this Invitation to Tender (ITT) as ‘the Client’. The appointed Contract Managers for the Client will be Mike Harmer and Semele Mylona.