Research, Impact and Learning Framework

Framework agreements have been awarded for Lot 1 of the Research, Impact and Learning Framework.

Successful contractors will be invited to work with The Education and Training Foundation (ETF) in all types of literature or evidence reviews, co-designing a clear set of research questions for evaluation and learning.

The aims and objectives of any literature and/or evidence review will explore areas of interest to ETF, its members, and the wider research community. The reviews will be used to inform thought leadership and influencing activities, the future development of CPD programmes offered and programme design. The required output will be of publishable standard and the appropriate publication and dissemination approach will be agreed as part of the project initiation process for each call-off contract awarded.

For ETF research and evaluation projects, contractors awarded call-off contracts will be asked to undertake a rapid evidence review. This may involve reviewing relevant ETF documents and data, identifying a range of key literature (both published and grey literature) and undertaking a data mapping exercise to help ETF identify what is already known and understood about the topic/ subject area under investigation, before embarking on ETF’s research and evaluation activity. Where appropriate, ETF and the framework contractor, will agree in advance whether the evidence review will be published separately from the final report.

Framework Agreements have been awarded for Lot 2 of the Research, Impact and Learning Framework.

Projects undertaken by this Lot include primary research to help better understand the needs and challenges faced by the FE sector and its learners, and how - as a professional membership body – ETF can best support the sector. Developing evidence-based responses to policy and ensure that ETF workforce development programmes, and our SET membership offer, are responsive to the current and future needs and trends of the FE sector. Commitment to developing an evidence base in areas that have not yet received much attention and are important to our members and their learners.

Secondary research projects undertaken will be in areas of FE that ETF members and Trustee’s prioritise, or in areas that are helpful in advancing our organisational strategy and providing new insights that inform and/or benefit the sector and its learners. For example, this might involve analysing existing primary data sources to help identify trends and differentials in FE sector funding, operations, performance, efficiency, effectiveness, and outcomes. Contractors will be required to be familiar with government and publicly available quantitative datasets (e.g. Ofsted reports) and be aware of other potential sources of primary data which could be utilised more effectively to address some of ETF’s unanswered research questions.

Framework Agreements have been awarded for Lot 3 of the Research, Impact and Learning Framework.

This Lot will enable the ETF to continue to demonstrate the impact of its CPD programmes and improve its impact practice. ETF has begun work on developing an organisational level theory of change (due to complete Autumn 2023) and have introduced programme level theories of change across our portfolio of activities. These inform both our programme design, delivery and evaluation and have been co-designed with ETF staff, our delivery partners, stakeholder representatives and, where applicable, our funder(s).

ETF will be using these programme theories of change to develop and introduce a systematic and consistent monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) framework for all programme activity and professional membership activities. With the help and support of highly experienced and trusted evaluation and learning partners, our ambitions for the future are to co-design, with our FE sector partners and members, an impact evaluation approach that will enable us to evidence both our contribution and our attribution to achieving ETF’s intended long term outcomes and impact goals.

ETF sought services from contractors to:

• co-design an organisational social value measurement and reporting approach, that can be embedded as part of our new and developing MEL approach.
• co-design a set of standard social value tools and supporting resources for FE sector providers that can be utilised across our CPD and Professionalism portfolio.
• Recommend potential approaches and/ or activities that ETF could consider using to drive improvements in social value at both a corporate and sector (system) level.

In light of new intelligence into the requirements of the business around social value, it was decided this Lot should be withdrawn from the Framework.