Young Design Programme 08/09

Evaluation Report

7.indd 1 16/10/2009 13:30:48 1 Introduction ...... p1

2 Method of Evaluation ...... p3

3 Context ...... p4

4 The Participants’ Experience of YDP ...... p8

5 Conclusions ...... p10

6 Recommendations ...... p12

7 Sustainability ...... p16

7.indd 2 16/10/2009 13:30:48 11l Introduction

An ambitious project the partners to make available the resources needed to complete the programme. This iteration of the Young Design Programme (YDP), combined 250 students, six , eight design teams, In this way each delivery of the programme is slightly 14 lecturers, two major events and eight design projects different and has a unique flavour based on the partner’s all delivered in three months, alongside staff and students’ interpretation of the process. main coursework. University of The programme was managed exceptionally by the , funded by the South East The University of Greenwich appointed the coordinator, Lifelong Learning Network (SELLLN) and supported by the selected the design team students, hosted the Challenge Sorrell Foundation. Feedback from both the staff and the Day and made tutor time available. students was very positive. FE Colleges However, the programme was not without its problems. The notification of the availability of funding had happened late The six FE colleges (Bexley , Greenwich Community in the academic planning cycle, there was uncertainty in College, , , South Thames some of the colleges due to reorganisation and the original College and College), made their students funding application underestimated the complexity of the available. Staff took part in the planning meetings (although project, particularly given the high uptake. the amount of time each put in varied because of local circumstances and in some cases college reorganisation) The YDP is a tried and tested formula for delivering its and provided the buildings as starting points for the design unique project where the clients are school children using process. either professional design companies or university students, but this was the first time that it had been tried with FE SELLLN students acting as clients and particularly FE students who were themselves studying Art and Design. SELLLN’s aim is to provide opportunities for vocational learners to progress to higher education. Organisational overview SELLLN provided funding for the coordinator post at the It is important to make clear in this evaluation the roles of University of Greenwich, and facilitated communication the different parties and that although all were working on between the University and the FE colleges, through the YDP, the delivery of the project is the sum of the actions SELLLN’s institutionally based staff. of a number of partners who are in operational terms relatively autonomous. Creative Process

The Sorrell Foundation This evaluation was conducted by Creative Process, a regen- eration agency specialising in delivering economic devel- The Sorrell Foundation developed the YDP process in opment projects that focus on the potential of the creative partnership with the University of the Arts London (UAL) industries as a force for change in an area. and runs the Young Design Centre based at Somerset House. The YDP process is defined in the YDP Manager’s We were particularly interested in the YDP as a model for Manual and a central YDP team takes part in planning using a design project to inspire creativity in young people college and university visits as well as hosting visits from and improve the quality of life through good design. the participants at Somerset House, where they also stage We have worked with many young design companies as a final exhibition of the projects, featuring the work of well as run large scale multidisciplinary collaborative design participants across the country. projects ourselves, most notably design Charrettes, which can be thought of as a sort of YDP for grown-ups. The YPD Manager’s Manual sets out roles and responsibilities but the Foundation makes it clear that they are not there to manage the process and it is up to

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7.indd 3 16/10/2009 13:30:48 Organisation Name Job Title

Bexley College Sofie Pinkett Course Leader Foundation Studies in Art & Design, National Diploma in Art & Design (Yr2)

Greenwich Community College Gillian Jones Course Tutor BTEC National Diploma Art & Design (fashion)

Lambeth College Miriam Sorrentin Course Tutor, BTEC National Diploma Art & Design

Paulette Collier Course leader, BTEC National Diploma Art & Design

Lewisham College Tanya Paget Programme Area Leader Visual Arts & Media

Nicholas Cornwell Course Tutor BTEC National Diploma Art & Design

South Thames College Paul Cairns Course Tutor, BTEC National Diploma Art & Design

Jane Draper Course Tutor, BTEC National Diploma Art & Design

Yvonne Belfon Curriculum Manager Art & Design

Phillip Cunniffe Course Tutor, BTEC National Diploma Art & Design

Southwark College Tessa Limb BTEC National Diploma Art & Design

Fiona Kreizman Head of Art, Media & Design

University of Greenwich Anastasios Maragiannis Senior Lecturer BA/HND Graphic & 3D Digital Design, School of Architecture & Construction

Corine Delage Director of Learning & Quality, School of Architecture & Construction

Sorrell Foundation Georgia Steele Programme Manager

Tessa Reed Programme Manager

Ian Thompson Programme Manager

SELLLN Lucy Jenks Lifelong Learning Co-ordinator Creative, Communications & Media

Ruth Keynes Progression & Credit Manager

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7.indd 4 16/10/2009 13:30:49 22l Method of Evaluation

In order to undertake this evaluation: opportunities to help guide students to apply, who may not previously have thought about entering university. Each of We read all the available background material including the universities who sign up to the progression agreement two previous YDP evaluations (National Foundation for also host specific events or projects during the year for Educational Research, November 2008 and the University of prospective students. the Arts London paper, September 2008). In this context, the YDP offers great potential for FE We prepared nine questions for tutors and nine further students to have extended contact with university questions for students. Using these questions we students as well as take part in a project that will extend interviewed one tutor from each of the FE Colleges, and a their understanding of the whole design process and the group of between five and 12 students (mostly without the different disciplines within it. tutor present) at each College. The chief objective of this evaluation is to look at how that We interviewed the course leader and three tutors from has worked, what improvements could be made if it were University of Greenwich as well as the project leaders from run again and to try and look at ways in which the project the Sorrell Foundation and SELLLN. could be made sustainable.

We also read through all the online blogs that were From SELLLN’s point of view the YDP has the potential to updated by the students throughout the programme. advance many of its aims, and to really break down the barriers for learners who are taking a non traditional route In addition we attended the celebration day at the into higher education, to advance wider participation and University of Greenwich, watched films that had been made to champion the value of the vocational learner. about each project and visited the exhibition of project work at Somerset House.

All the interviews were conducted between April and May 2009. Most of the projects were not fully finished but the YDP process was more or less complete. The only participants not represented fully in this evaluation are the mentors who we felt had had their time impinged upon enough. Also some of the meetings between students and mentors had not happened at this point and this is the one group that we have not managed to interview.

Sustainability, SELLLN and Progression

This evaluation was commissioned by SELLLN who funded this version of the YDP. For them the value of the YDP may differ in some respects from the aims of its initiator, the Sorrell Foundation.

SELLLN has a very specific remit “to help vocational learners to progress to and through higher education”. It accomplishes this aim through a variety of projects, but most important to this evaluation is its use of progression agreements. These are agreements between universities and colleges which specify what each party (the student, the FE college and the HE institution) needs to do to clarify and enhance progression . Around this central agreement are other initiatives most notably IAG (Information, Advice and Guidance) as well as more informal networking

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7.indd 5 16/10/2009 13:30:49 33l Context

Aims of the Sorrell Foundation created an inspiring social and work space for the Hartcliffe Engineering Community College Sixth Form; and Paul The work of the Sorrell Foundation is well-known and Smith’s work on a new school uniform for Aldercar respected. Since 1999 it has advanced its aim of “inspiring Community Language College. creativity in young people and improving the quality of life through good design” with a number of ground breaking Through this programme the Sorrell Foundation designed projects. and developed a six stage process, effectively:

John Sorrell’s conviction is that good design can lead to a - Planning better world, but you only get good design if you have a - Challenge good client in the first place. The Foundation has sought to - Brief (defined using 15 common issues) develop good client skills in young people by putting them - Conversation in charge of experienced design teams and asking them - Concept what within their environment should change. - Celebration

A reducing difference in age and experience Young Design Programme

Although apparently only a subtle change, the use in this From this project the Young Design Programme was iteration of FE students as client teams means that the developed. In this, the main design role was taken by age difference between the client and the design team is university students who worked for school’s client teams not as great as before (in fact it has reduced in each of the and who were in turn mentored by industry professionals. three versions of the YDP project described below). This Since 2005 it has worked with 10 universities and 74 time, some of the FE students are in fact older than the HE schools: University of the Arts (2005-08); University of students who are designing for them. This ‘reduction in Leeds and University of Falmouth (2006-07); Kingston difference’ (of age and experience) between client team and University, New College Nottingham and Plymouth College design team is further reduced because the FE students are of Art and Design (2007); and additionally the University of studying for a BTEC National Diploma in Art and Design so Northampton, University of Greenwich, Buckinghamshire have more advanced knowledge of design issues than the New University, University of Derby and the University for school children who have taken the role of the client before. the Creative Arts (2008) Many FE students want to study design at University in the very near future, so they are potentially only months away Young Design Programme (2) from being on the opposite side of the drawing board. The subject of this report is still the Young Design The evolution of the Young Design Programme Programme (YDP), but in this iteration the clients are no longer school students but FE students, whilst the design Starting in 2000 the Foundation has developed a practical, team is again university students supported by industry project-based way of developing client skills in young mentors. To mark this change I have distinguished it here as people. This method shows how good design can change YDP (2). lived experience in profound ways, particularly the design of schools and the learning experience in this case. The development of this programme has led to the version of the YDP that is evaluated in this report; it went through the stages outlined below.

Joinedupdesignforschools

Joinedupdesignforschools saw established design practices working with school children as clients, redesigning an aspect of their school. Over 100 projects were completed, including: Richard Rogers Partnership remodelling of the toilets in Green School; Alsop Architects

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7.indd 6 16/10/2009 13:30:49 Aims of Colleges

Another key difference with FE students as the client is that they are working on an assessed unit-based course of study in Art and Design. They have very defined outcomes that they need to achieve to pass all their units and they have personal goals they want to achieve in life - either to progress onto further study, to get a job or become self employed.

School students on the other hand take part in the YDP to improve their soft skills, work with design students from higher education and make a contribution to actual capital investment schemes. The pupils’ work is not formally assessed. For the FE students assessment is a core part of their immediate life.

They have limited time and resources, the YDP can help them achieve their life goals (as the experience at Lambeth and Bexley proved) but at some other Colleges it was the University students that stood to gain more from the experience of using the FE students as test clients.

If the YDP is to continue to be offered to FE, this balance of aspirations needs to be thought through. It may even be the case that both FE and HE students swap roles throughout the process.

One of the other disparities in the experience offered is that the industry mentors only support the HE students. However, the FE students would gain valuable experience if the mentors were also available to them.

Greenwich Community College / Designs for fashion department

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7.indd 7 16/10/2009 13:30:50 YDP Evaluation Report / 06

7.indd 8 16/10/2009 13:30:50 Diagram showing the connection between YDP partners and the work carried out by the design clients and teams.

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7.indd 9 16/10/2009 13:30:50 44The participants’ experience l of the YDP

Summary of FE Experience: What they learnt On integration of the YDP to BTEC units, Lambeth College “You have to be very precise when putting a brief together. You had aligned the programme to Unit 7, Design Methods in can’t always get what you want (in design). It’s not as straight Art and Design, which equates to 60 guided learner hours. forward as I thought; and it is hard to make group decisions.” What Paulette really liked about the YDP was that although Students at South Thames College it was a “real world simulation” it was much more real than a purely college-based exercise, in fact about as near as One student said that it made him realise “how big the you could get to a real project. Lambeth College also have world is”. It was also a revelation to many of the FE students ambitions to persuade the College to adopt the new logo how hard students are expected to work at University. and website designs that were developed as a result of this project so the exercise could develop into the first real Presenting their brief to the HE students at Greenwich project the team deliver. University was a high point for the Lambeth students, they also liked visiting the University and learnt a lot by getting Paulette is a strong advocate of the programme and one to know the university students in a less formal way. of its most enthusiastic supporters. She was involved right from the beginning and managed to persuade her Working with the HE students had made “university college to pay for some extra hours in which to develop students and life real” to them. They had gained confidence the college’s involvement in the programme . This year, two in their own abilities relative to those of university students students from Lambeth College were accepted onto the although some had been surprised at how many iterations Graphic and Digital Design, BA Hons at Greenwich which they were expected to go through to create a finished she felt was in part due to the experience her students had design. gained on the YDP programme.

The benefits most FE student groups interviewed Students and tutors at other FE colleges felt that it had mentioned were: made all of the students aware of how hard they would have to work, and gave them insight into how much work - Increased confidence university students were expected to produce - for some - Public speaking skills this had obviously been quite a shock. - Thinking on the spot - Teamwork Summary of FE Experience: Issues

One tutor felt that through the YDP they had become more Other than some organisational issues (that were more interested in the range of courses that were available at down to resources than the design of the project or the university. people working on it) certain issues were raised. There was not any real contact with industry mentors for FE students Tessa Limb ( tutor) said that the YDP sets and if the programme was run again then Paulette would challenges for her students that they would not normally like her students to have contact with the mentors. This get in college, so students got a sense of what a real job was echoed by several of the other tutors. One group did would be like. meet the industry mentor but this happened so late in the process that it did not influence the product in any way. Summary of FE Experience: What they liked Many students felt sad that the designs were not going to Paulette Collier (Lambeth College tutor) felt that the most be realised. This was a more serious problem for the courses successful part of the project was the initial visit by the where the YDP was not used to deliver one of the BTEC students to the Sorrell Foundation at Somerset House. They units; for some of these colleges the YDP was perceived were met by Ian Thompson who explained the work of the as a distraction more than an addition to the learning Foundation. They were then made a cup of tea and were experience. One tutor reported that a few opportunities shown round the exhibition which made them feel special. had been missed for her students to participate: they could Ian also did an amazing demonstration of the project which have been involved in the design of the Celebration Day got the students enthusiastic about taking part. invites but found out too late; her photography

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7.indd 10 16/10/2009 13:30:50 students could have made photo documentation of the Summary of HE Experience: What they liked process; or a competition between Colleges could have been run. The students felt that it had been a privilege to take part in the project and that it could help them with their Some of the FE student groups were a bit critical of future employability. It was the first time they had worked the University students who had failed to turn up on a between University departments in multidisciplinary teams few occasions and the FE students felt that they were (Design and Architecture and Design and Graphics); they sometimes a bit rude and disrespectful towards them. liked this and would like to do more. For example, Lewisham College had to arrange its own inspirational visit and then only two of the University of One of the highlights had been the FE students visiting the Greenwich students showed up, and they were late. University. They felt that this visit and working with the HE students had demystified university for them. One of the Other issues mentioned by the FE students groups FE students said to an HE student that the visit had made it interviewed included; a need for more communication; “real for him”. The HE students were proud to have been a the programme was too stretched out; the design team part of this experience. should be made to listen to the client; there were not enough introductions of the students and their work and All the university students felt that the experience of they would have liked career and study pathways to be running a real job would help them become more explained better. employable.

Summary of HE Experience: What they learnt Summary of HE Experience: Issues

All the students felt that they had developed the soft skills The third year students seemed to have severe pressures on of teamwork, presentation and client communication their time. A lot of the activity on the YDP occurred during in a way that they could not have done just on a regular the lead up to their degree shows and the degree show University project. work naturally took priority.

Corine Delage (Director of Learning and Quality at the The university students were not clear as to how the skills University of Greenwich) thought that the HE design they developed during the YDP would relate to their course teams had learnt essential communication skills through work assessment. The general feeling was that it would taking part in the YDP project. They had been required not form part of their mark and so this created a tension to understand a brief from a client’s point of view and for them in deciding where to concentrate effort. A more modify their use of language, which could have become formal assessment of how they performed as a team or overly theoretical whilst at university, using plain English to within the teams could address this issue and also help communicate ideas. with motivating the less active team members (all teams commented on the disparity of work done by different Anastasios Maragiannis reported that there was a moment members). when the HE students had taken full ownership of the project, and stopped needing a high level of support. He In general the HE students had found the YDP valuable felt this was a valuable experience for them. and would want to take part again. They would like to have more support in organising both the work and the contacts Blogs were one of the communication tools set up for each between all the different elements, they would like more project. The aim was to allow the project developments to training in team work, team building and would like the be posted online, to encourage feedback and debate with assessment of their performance to be part of the way their the HE and FE students. This was vital as the students were degree is marked. working on campuses across London. For technical reasons the blogs only came online later in the programme, but some of the students felt they had learnt not just to use a computer function but also to use it in a project situation as Southwark College / ‘Projection of different moods’ a distance project communication tool. South Thames College / Manifesto by Tugba Bexley College / 3D room model

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7.indd 11 16/10/2009 13:30:51 55l Conclusions

The YDP is a sound and well-tested project, although its dynamic was altered in this iteration with the participation of FE design students as clients. The large and spread-out nature of the client groups and their geographical location relative to the design teams was a problem. The resources available to the project became stretched as more colleges were added to the list of participants.

Overall the majority of participants reported positive experiences and would like to take part in the project again.

Additional funding (or reducing the number of participating colleges) would overcome the resources issue. But there are some additions that could be made to the method of delivery of the project that would increase the value of participation in the project and also address some of the progression and widening participation aims of the new partner SELLLN. See section 6 for a list of recommendations.

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7.indd 12 16/10/2009 13:30:51 Lewisham College / I.D Cards and feedback sheets South Thames College / Wallpaper designs

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7.indd 13 16/10/2009 13:30:53 66l Recommendations

These recommendations should be seen as suggestions The YDP maps very well onto Unit 7, Design Methods in Art of ways that could improve the delivery of the YDP to this and Design in the BTEC National Diploma in Design. A way combination of FE and HE students. They are meant as forward for the programme may be to delve deeper into positive recommendations on the way forward rather than the BTEC course structure and custom write one or more criticisms of anything that has happened (or not happened) units that participating Colleges could take and deliver. in the project under review. This way the YDP could relieve BTEC course tutors of some of their workload (and many of the BTEC tutors do have a. The YDP process should be integrated into enormous workloads). In some cases the YDP has added the delivery of a BTEC unit extra work to already stretched resources - this may be a task that SELLLN would like to take forward. b. The development and assessment of soft skills needs to be more clearly defined in the context of all B. The development and assessment of soft skills need student coursework to be more clearly defined in the context of all student course work c. The formation of the HE design teams needs to be carefully planned and balanced and the roles Potentially the soft skills that can be learned through the clearly defined YDP process could be some of the most important ones that students from both FE and HE can ever learn. Skills d. The blogs should be used as the central repository of such as team working, group decision-making processes, project information and the main project interdisciplinary working and client management. management tool In this first iteration of the YDP project using a HE and e. The project needs to be realistic about resourcing FE collaboration, the integration of these skills into the curriculum and marking systems of both courses has been f. The timing of the YDP relative to the academic years somewhat uneven. Even in the case where tutors reported of FE and HE students needs to be planned meticulously a clear structure, the students when interviewed did not have a consistent understanding of which skills could be g. An agreement that the senior management of the gained and how (or even if) they were being assessed FE colleges would receive a presentation on the YDP within the marking of their course. projects should be a prerequisite The key skills that students felt they had learned through h. Both the HE and FE students should have access to the process were: the industry mentors - Public speaking A. The YDP process should be integrated into the - Interviewing delivery of a BTEC unit - Presenting - Team working Two of the FE Colleges used the YDP as the basis of one - Thinking under pressure of the units in the BTEC course. Satisfaction with the YDP was much higher in these Colleges than in those who did not. Also, those who used second year students reported greater success on the YDP as well.

For some of the Colleges who did not incorporate the YDP as a unit, the students tended to focus on the delivery of the actual change to their working space (for which, in most cases, there is not the budget to implement) rather than the programme as a process through which learning can take place. Having the delivery of the YDP as an integral part of an assessed BTEC unit could focus the students’ minds more onto the process and less on the product (or lack of).

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7.indd 14 16/10/2009 13:30:53 In order to improve the integration of this important aspect Space meeting can be used to facilitate groups from which of the project it may be worth analysing which particular teams are going to be selected through becoming familiar skills can be developed through participation in the YDP with each other and through the process of running the and then mapping them against the students’ respective meetings, leaders tend to organically emerge. course module structure. It may be that some of the skills will not fit into established curricula or it may be that - Variations of Bert Helliger’s Constellation process (www. marks within units are not the best way for students to constellationsolutions.co.uk) can be used to test different demonstrate competency. It may be more appropriate team configurations - often with quite amazing insights for them to build up a portfolio of references, meeting into group dynamics happening during the process. minutes, video clips or other material which exist outside of the course marking structure that they can keep and use - Variations of the sorts of tasks used on ‘The Apprentice’ in university and job applications. Being able to show proof TV show could be tried. of having led a team or contributed to a successful group project will be of great value in both a student’s education - Setting up simple psychological profiling and the and on entry to the job market. application of Belbin’s team role theory (www.belbin.com) could be tried. Much of this can be done online which could C. The formation of the HE design teams needs to be help with the logistics of dealing with such a geographically carefully planned and balanced and the clarity of roles diverse network of colleges. defined clearly All these are methods that do not need to be time The putting together of a design team as a mixture of intensive, Open Space can be run effectively in half a day individuals that have specific skills and knowledge is a and the benefits in terms of team selection and team complex process - more of an art than an exact science. effectiveness would easily repay the effort. Time invested in getting the process right is easily repaid in the quality of performance of the team - a fact that not Clarification of roles only designers but also football managers will testify to. Within this iteration of the YDP there were few resources When interviewed many of the FE students were unclear to invest in this process. Bearing that in mind but also about the roles that the students in the HE teams were acknowledging that getting the chemistry of the teams supposed to be fulfilling, and within the HE teams there right is probably one of the most crucial factors affecting was evidence of a lack of defined structure in the teams. the success of the project, it may be worth exploring If some of the team selection processes described above ways in which teams can be selected, or more efficiently were used then the importance of team roles may become facilitated to self select. clearer, stronger leaders may emerge and the process could improve. In the delivery of the YDP by University of the Arts, a self assessment of skills at the beginning and end of the project is a required stage and it is used as part of the process of selecting the design teams. It was not clear that this stage had been carried out in this project. It may have been one of the reasons for the variability in the success of the teams. Participation by colleges should perhaps be on a competitive basis - testing commitment, resources and understanding of the aims of the project as a way of selecting which colleges are invited to take part in the YDP.

There are various tried and tested techniques with which the HE designers could be helped to self select themselves into teams and also select leaders - i.e.: South Thames College / Outside space wall designs - Open Space Technology (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Open_Space_Technology) - the setting up of an Open

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7.indd 15 16/10/2009 13:30:54 Even a simple management structure diagram on the design team presents to the client. They should then offer blogs could help make the operation of the programme feedback on the team’s performance as well as overseeing clearer. Simple things like using the blogs to show the team the inspirational visit, helping with the brief formulation, structures and responsibilities (like a small organisational planning the challenge day, liaising with the mentors and diagram) and exploring ways to reinforce identities for all the other administration required to bring the project to example, individual portraits of the design team members completion. and the client team members and maybe a few group photos of teams and clients together at meetings or out on Even if we just take the minimum client design team visits like the inspiration day (some groups seem to have meetings, eight clients x five meetings including travel and done this at the first meeting but such things do not seem time to give feedback could realistically take 40 days of the to have been continued). If roles within the design teams coordinator’s time. The original brief for the whole project were more defined at the outset then the complaints from including administration and everything else budgeted for some of the HE students on uneven performance within just 34 days. teams could be monitored and addressed. We estimate that a realistic budget would have been nearer All these are subtle ways that group membership can be £25K for staff time as well as a travel budget and materials strengthened and communication between design team and incidentals sum. and client can be enhanced. F. The timing of the YDP relative to academic years of D. The blogs should be used as a central repository of FE and HE students needs to be planned meticulously project information and the main project management tool There have been several comments from both staff and students at all levels on the sensitivity of the timing of It has been noted that some colleges experienced technical the YDP relative to the key milestones in their respective difficulties with the blogs, therefore, an early investment academic years. of time into setting up the blogs and the training of the students in a standard protocol for their use would be a This is a hard task to coordinate perfectly but the good investment. We say protocol, because this cohort success of the programme for the participants is crucial. hardly need to be taught how to use the internet or new Academic years, especially those for the HE students technology, but a consistent way of using a blog as a are surprisingly short. Induction, course work, project project management tool saves time and helps to clarify deadlines and final show all come thick and fast. If the YDP communication, driving the project through a number of synchronises well then it can be a core learning experience defined stages. for the students; if not it can seem like an extra burden in an already packed timetable. The definition of process and the setting up of templates for blog use could be something that SELLLN or the Sorrell It is recommended that before any dates are set for the key Foundation would want to take on. As an investment in parts of the YDP that a specific timetable planning day is set infrastructure for a network-based project it could give very aside where senior management from both HE and FE can good returns. At any point in the process any participant or meet and map their respective course timetables against team member could see exactly where the design team was each other and pick mutually convenient dates for the key in developing the design, the clients could feed back and milestones of the YDP to adhere to. This meeting needs the blogs could be a central repository for all the data that to be arranged to fall in with the course planning cycle defines the project. that both FE and HE work to and once dates are set they should not be moved. This year for reasons beyond anyone’s E. The project needs to be realistic about resourcing control several key dates were moved which reduced the efficiency of the programme delivery. There should be a full time person for the duration of the project. The Sorrell Foundation YDP Manual asks that the programme coordinator (or their college tutor, but I do not think any University of Greenwich tutors attended client briefing meetings) attend all the meetings where the HE

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7.indd 16 16/10/2009 13:30:55 On a practical note, the efficient use of resources was also H. Both the HE and FE students should have access to a major project planning issue and the YDP had not taken the industry mentors into account many of the practical issues faced by colleges and universities. As stated earlier, it may not seem a big difference but the fact that the client teams in this version of the YDP proj- - One FE College needs three weeks notice for risk ect are studying Art and Design and many would like to assessments in order to arrange an external visit develop a career in that area makes this project different from previous iterations of the YDP where the clients were - It can take two hours for a student at Lambeth to get school children. to the Avery Hill Greenwich University site One of the FE Colleges did manage to meet the industry - One College has a budget for travel equal to just one mentor but the rest did not and this was because of indi- travel card per student per term vidual initiative rather than because it was planned at the beginning. It would be a big ask to the mentors for them The delivery of the YDP working between further and to effectively teach two groups rather than one but the higher education is like a finely balanced clock; just one benefit to the FE students could be enormous. missed beat and the efficiency of the whole chime is lost (if that is not stretching a mixed metaphor too far!)

G. An agreement that the senior management of the FE Colleges would receive a presentation on the YDP projects should be a prerequisite

It is unlikely that Colleges are going to agree to pre-allocate capital to implement the designs that come out of the YDP process. An agreement across all Colleges that senior management would give time for a presentation of the YDP projects could be a partial solution. Students could feel that their concerns had been taken on board and management may find that hearing not only the problems but also some constructive solutions could help them to find resources. In one of the colleges where the students had been able to present the project to senior management they said “that it had given them a voice”.

As an example, the project has alerted Bexley’s new Head of Professional Studies that there is a problem with storage in the BTEC studios. This was a direct outcome of her visiting the exhibition of the YDP work.

Southwark College / Outside space designs / Contemplation pod research Lewisham College / Design for IT Greenwich Community College / Table with storage and white surface South Thames College / Bar area Bexley College / Research

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7.indd 17 16/10/2009 13:30:56 77l Sustainability

All parties would like to see the project continue. Possible Evaluation report compiled by: avenues for securing the necessary funding are outlined below. Andrew Carmichael

State funding Creative Process Old Laban Centre Laurie Grove The project would seem to fit into several schemes such London SE14 6NH as Widening Participation and Aim Higher. Although it 020 8691 6729 has the right ethos, most of these schemes are already oversubscribed and have very prescriptive conditions for [email protected] funding, so the YDP may find it hard to raise funds from www.creativeprocess.org.uk these sources. An approach at a local level may generate funds through the budgets of one of the offices that are Programme funded by SELLLN based in partner institutions, but if they have any discrete www.sellln.org.uk or unallocated funds these are likely to be very low. If an approach at a national level is to be made then it should Managed by University of Greenwich only be considered if supported by the Sorrell Foundation who may already have their own priorities for engaging Supported by Sorrell Foundation with central government and the relevant contacts. and University of Arts London

Commercial sponsorship Participating Colleges: Bexley College The property sector would seem to be a good fit with the Greenwich Community College Young Design Programme. If we were still in the boom Lambeth College phase of the business cycle, then it would probably not Lewisham College be hard to raise £25K from that sector. However, although South Thames College times are much harder now, the right developer who has a Southwark College scheme in the vicinity of the YDP delivery area may well be interested in a sponsorship deal. If such an application was matched with a strategic partner and even a media partner as well, then it would be even more attractive.

Other options include RICS, RIBA and Art and Business.

Trusts and Foundations

There are a number of organisations who have objectives that fit in with the aims of the YDP. An application to one of these could be successful.

The keys to fundraising are research, organisation and perseverance! If staff time can be found to resource a person to undertake fundraising, then it should be possible to raise the funds for the academic year 2010/2011. With a degree of luck, it would take a well-organised person putting in a day a week for six months to accomplish the task.

Trusts to approach include Esmeé Fairbairn Foundation, the Leverhulme Trust, J Paul Getty Jr Charitable Trust and the Bernard Sunley Charitable Foundation.

YDP Evaluation Report / 16

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