PAST PROJECTS

Recent and past projects

And also:

• Evaluation of the ‘Skills for the Future’ Programme (2017-18). Skills for the Future is a major programme run by the UK’s Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The programme provides grants to organisations working in the heritage sector, mainly to deliver training programmes to ensure the future supply of a skilled and more diverse workforce. The aims of the evaluation were to assess the success of the in recruiting a more diverse workforce and to increase understandings of the experience of people who have benefited from training provided by the funded projects.
• Research for Blind Aid (2016). Blind Aid is one of the oldest established charities in the UK providing support for people with sight loss in London. Arcola was commissioned to carry out research on patterns of service use, including service users perceptions of and attitudes towards ‘charity’, in order to improve the service offer.
• Evaluation of the Community Alcohol Partnerships (CAPs) programme in Reading, UK (2015-16). CAP is a national UK programme aimed at reducing levels of under-age drinking by young people. Arcola designed and tested a new evaluation methodology to evaluate the programme.
• Change Management Programme for KETHEA (2015). KETHEA is the largest provider of drugs services in Greece. Arcola worked with senior management to map the ‘emotional and organisational intelligence’ of the service (including 500 staff) to feed into the development of an Action Plan to support improvements in service delivery for the organisation.
• Evaluation of the DOC ‘Made In Italy’ Project (2014-15). DOC was a project funded by the Italian Ministry for Economic Development. Its objective was to develop assistive technologies for people with sight loss, including a ‘haptic bracelet’ that helped people with sight loss to navigate around a workplace. Arcola carried out the field trials and evaluation of the device in London, working with staff and clients of organisations providing support for people with sight loss.
• sinc@he (2012-15). sinc@he was a project funded under the EC ‘Tempus’ Programme. The project involved working with EU institutions and Higher Education institutions in Montenegro to develop policies for the integration of people with disabilities into higher education.
• Bridge-IT (2010-12). BRIDGE-IT was a thematic Network on Migrants, Ethnic Minorities and ICT. It produced an Inventory of Good practices in Europe that promote ICT for socio-economic integration in culturally diverse contexts. This research project carried out a review of research and initiatives to support the integration of migrants. It used a literature review and case studies.
• ‘Mapping and Assessing the impact of ICT-based initiatives for the socio-economic inclusion of young people at risk of exclusion’ (2010). Commissioned by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC-Seville), the main aim of the study was to provide key stakeholders working in the field of youth, ICTs and social exclusion with evidence-based knowledge about the socio-economic benefits that the use of ICT can bring to disadvantaged young people or at risk of exclusion, and to the intermediaries working with them. This research project combined literature review, initiatives mapping and case studies.
• ‘Methodology and survey on the relation between the socio-economic conditions of European Young persons and their access, use and aspirations regarding ICT’ (2010). This study was commissioned by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC-Seville) and focused on developing and testing a survey methodology to measure the impacts of the use of ICTs by youth at risk. It involved extensive analysis and critical review of impacts assessment approaches.
• BREAKOUT (2009-10). BREAKOUT was a Research and technology development (RTD) project on reduction of offending and drug-related offending’, funded under the GRUNDTVIG programme. This project developed methods to break the cycle of offending, including knife and gun crime and drug-related offending in schools. It used social networking blended with drama workshops with young people ‘at `risk’ of offending.
• LINKS UP – ‘Learning 2.0 for an Inclusive Knowledge Society – understanding the picture’ (2009-10). Funded under the EC Lifelong Learning Programme, this project explored how social media can empower resistant learners and excluded groups by offering them new opportunities for self-realization through collaborative learning, and by changing the nature of education itself. It aimed to improve digital, technical and social skills for 800 students with learning difficulties; 450 hard to reach adult learners; 12,600 young people with disability and long-term illness; 5,200 immigrants; 2,300 unemployed young people.
• te@chus (2009-10). Another project funded under EC Lifelong Learning Programme, te@chus developed a learning programme to support teachers’ use of social media in classrooms.
• ‘Good Practices for Learning 2.0: the potential of Learning 2.0 for groups at risk of exclusion’ (2008-09). This study was commissioned by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC-Seville) to explore the use of social networking applications in learning and social inclusion. The research focused upon 20 intensive case studies.