AN2027 External Project Evaluation

Descriptions

Chwarae Teg are looking for external evaluation of the Agile Nation 2 (AN2) project. The evaluation will provide an independent assessment of the European Social Fund (ESF) overall performance and effectiveness based on a range of research tasks which seeks to understand the ‘difference’ that the project has made to women and employers with respect to gender equality, career advancement and improving the position of women in the workforce across Wales.The evaluation should provide a detailed assessment of the impact of ESF from April 2015 to June 2020, which would be a robust evaluation with sound methodology, and would:•Demonstrate a strong understanding of the issues facing women in the workplace.•Understand the differences the ESF is making and the impact it has created.•Quantify the progress of the ESF at its end-point.•Measure the achievement of the ESF outputs against targets, i.e. how many employees and employers are reached with support. (Information would be provided by Chwarae Teg against each of the indicators in terms of what’s been achieved and what we’re forecasting to achieve as the project won’t have ended at the point of evaluation).•Identify the ‘Added Value’ and impacts on female employees, i.e. looking at whether the ESF has brought about a change amongst women in terms of career aspirations, business confidence, etc.•Recognise and identify examples of effective and innovative practice.•Consider the sustainability and legacy of the intervention.There should be a focus on assessing the effectiveness of the ESF in assisting and supporting women with employment progression and in assisting employers to support and facilitate the progression of women through equality and diversity initiatives.An assessment of the degree to which the management and delivery of the ESF has been appropriate and effective with the needs and challenges of the employee and employer target groups in mind.Offer a basis for considering future delivery, wider policy learning and making future funders aware of the achievements of the Agile Nation 2 (AN2) ESF.The evaluation will need to explore how AN2 is impacting on both employees and employers from April 2015 to June 2020 in terms of quality, relevance and effectiveness. At an individual employee level, progress relating to skill levels, qualifications, career advancement, sustainable opportunities, confidence levels, work-life balance and modern working practices will all be key factors in examining the impact of the ESF. At a company level, factors such as creating a positive and progressive working environment, promoting a diverse workforce and gender specific training and flexible working (and any resulting improvement in productivity) will all be important indicators of impact.Make recommendations that could have improved current delivery based on your findings. This should include details of lessons learnt and opportunities for future delivery and development within the confines of the AN2 remit.The evaluation will also need to consider the impact of the ESF on wider stakeholders in the education and employment sectors and its potential sustainable progress over the longer term.We are looking to appoint February 2020. The evaluation must be completed end of May 2020.NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Sell2Wales Web Site at https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=97735.