Keywords

Location

View all Case Studies

Compass Regeneration Academy Merseyside

Sharing skills and experience in the regeneration community

Keywords: North West, Planning, Housing, Neighbourhood, Skills

Overview

The Compass Regeneration Academy Merseyside is a learning and development forum for graduates new to the regeneration sector, as well as staff moving from the housing sector. It was set up by a group of seven housing organisations that wanted to address skills gaps and recruitment and retention problems.

Students on the programme come from a broad range of public and private sector organisations. The course lasts 11 weeks, with participants attending nine days of teaching by experienced regeneration professionals, all of whom offer their skills on a voluntary basis. Members of the community are also able to take part in the programme, and local residents assist with delivering some of the teaching for the communities element of the course.

The emphasis of the course is on regeneration in practice, rather than academic theory. Towards the end of the programme, students take part in a planning exercise, which forms part of their assessment. They visit a neighbourhood to survey the area, noting architectural features and heritage issues. After the visit, they develop their plan for the area and then present them to the rest of the group.

The first intake of students was in spring 2005 and the Compass programme has since run twice a year. Initial funding for the programme came from a Housing Corporation Innovation & Good Practice grant and it is now supported by financial contributions from the founding organisations plus student fees. One hundred and ten individuals took part in the programme between 2005 and 2007.

» Background

Background

Addressing employees' needs

The programme was developed by a group of seven housing organisations that were finding it difficult to attract and retain graduate trainees. They were also finding that employees were being asked to work on regeneration projects without having the required specialist skills. The current steering group organisations are:

• Helena Housing

• Knowsley Housing Trust

• LHT Group

• Maritime HA

• NewHeartlands

• PLUS Housing Group

• The Riverside Group

Having decided that something needed to be done, these organisations looked at what training and development courses were available in the local area. Although a number of local universities offered programmes on regeneration, the focus was on theory rather than on putting regeneration into practice.

Developing a bespoke programme

The housing organisations identified four areas that they needed to address – strategy, community, economics and physical regeneration – and set out about designing their own bespoke programme that would deliver skills and experience in each of these areas. The overall aim was to establish a sustainable programme taught by regeneration practitioners, offering real insight into the job and up-to-date good practice guidance.

» The Impact

Overview «

The Impact

Skills and experience

Participants in the programme acquire new skills and practical experience of regeneration projects. Kerry Kirkpatrick of Knowsley Housing Trust said: “What I found really useful was the opportunity to view what other organisations were doing and their honesty in saying what had worked and what hadn't. I don't think this level of openness and insight would have been available on a more academic course that focused on theory.”

The course encourages participants to learn from one another. Peter Broad of Atrium City Living commented: “The programme was a fantastic opportunity for me to meet young professionals from other housing associations and share ideas and experiences.”

Students on a master planning exercise

Participants receive mentoring from experienced regeneration professionals, with this support continuing after the programme has been completed. The mentors take part on a voluntary basis and receive Institute of Leadership & Management accredited mentoring training through Compass. Pauline Davis, Managing Director of Compass steering group member NewHeartlands, said: “Compass Regeneration Academy Merseyside promotes a 'can do' approach which is necessary in the potential leaders of tomorrow.”

During the first year of the programme, Compass was evaluated by the Institute for Political & Economic Governance at Manchester University. The evaluation found that the programme had made significant progress towards creating a group of potential leaders for the Merseyside regeneration community and had established strong support among local organisations.

Wide participation

In addition to employees from the seven founding organisations, participants in Compass have come from local authorities and private developers. Members of the community are eligible for bursary places on the course. The broad mix of students ensures that the programme delivers maximum benefit to the Merseyside regeneration sector and gives the participants a wider perspective on the different roles involved in regeneration.

Networking is a key part of the programme

Helen Jamieson, Project Manager for Compass, sees the programme being opened up to an even wider audience in the future. She said: “We're looking at ways of getting young people involved in delivering some of the training, and in the long term I think the skills and knowledge that the course provides would be of great value to the police, primary care trusts and other organisations involved in community regeneration.”

» Good Practice

Background «

Good Practice

What can be learned from the project?

• The Compass Regeneration Academy programme was accredited by the Institute of Leadership & Management in 2007. Gaining accreditation was quite labour intensive, and carrying out internal moderation and quality control requires dedication, but it has brought significant value to the programme by giving participants a recognised qualification.

Students celebrate at the end of the programme

• The Compass model is easy to replicate in other regions and areas. Following the success of the Merseyside programme, Compass Regeneration Academy Greater Manchester was launched in 2007 to deliver the same learning and development opportunities in Oldham and Rochdale. A short pilot version of the programme, lasting four days, has been developed in conjunction with Wirral Borough Council and there are plans to run this in the wider New Heartlands area, one of the Government's Housing Market Renewal Pathfinders set up to address housing demand issues in Merseyside.

• Individuals at an early stage of their careers have the opportunity to establish a strong professional network, by meeting peers as well as more experienced regeneration practitioners.

• An evaluation by the Institute for Political & Economic Governance at Manchester University during the first year of the programme provided useful recommendations on how it could be improved and developed. Changes that were made as a result of these recommendations included shortening the course from 15 to 11 days and broadening the range of students. Ongoing evaluation takes place with students, practitioner tutors and guest speakers.

» Reference

The Impact «