Private finance for the delivery of school projects in England

This paper analyses the use of the private finance initiative (PFI) approach to deliver school projects in England. The findings are based on case-study research in the Building Schools for the Future scheme (BSF), the largest single capital investment in SO years to rebuild and renew all of England's secondary schools. Up to half of the school infrastructure is to be procured by PFI contracts. A major concern has been the high cost associated with PFI procurement and any subsequent changes to scope. Furthermore, in some cases PFI-funded schools have been closed soon after completion; at great cost to the public sector. The aim of this research was therefore to understand the underlying reasons for these problems. The main conclusion is that the difficulties in BSF arise from not sorting out strategic issues and instituting appropriate organisational frameworks before engaging the private sector. The result of this is a lack of clarity about the long-term needs and end user aspirations. A brief outline of current programme management methods is given and it is suggested that this might be integral to the successful delivery of schools using private finance. A clear strategic vision that cascades into projects via programmes will ensure that the school infrastructure is appropriate for the anticipated strategic benefits and is aligned to the overall service delivery ambitions

Reach in and reach out : the story of the MSc in pipeline engineering at Newcastle University

This paper presents an unusual case of university-industry interaction whereby a group of small businesses came together to persuade a university to establish an MSc in Pipeline Engineering. We identify that the course contributed to regional development in four ways. Firstly, it provided graduates for local industry. Secondly, it linked local firms with pipeline engineers world wide and raised the region's profile within that network. Thirdly, it strengthened the research base of the university through the recruitment of pipeline engineers from industry and fourthly, it facilitated the possibility of joint research between the university and local firms. We question whether this model is transferable to other industry sectors/universities. We conclude that this outreach activity has been shaped by the 'reach-in' to the university of the local business community and propose a revised model of university interaction with regional industry. Traditionally universities have been seen as 'reaching out' to regional industry and the collaborations have been viewed as being instigated by the university and often research-based. Our revised model proposes an alternative mechanism whereby collaborations can be instigated by industry and through a teaching-route

The Rover Task Force:a case study in proactive and reactive policy intervention?

The paper examines the policy responses in the UK West Midlands to the successive crises at the car maker MG-Rover. Whilst the firm’s eventual collapse in 2005 was a substantial shock to the West Midlands economy, the impact was much less than was anticipated when the firm was first threatened with closure in 2000 at the time of its break-up and sale by the German car firm BMW. Although the firm struggled as an independent producer, the five years of continued production until 2005 and the work of the initial Rover Task Force (RTF1), enabled many suppliers to adjust and diversify away from their hitherto dependence on MG-Rover resulting in as many as 10,000–12,000 jobs being ‘saved’. This first intervention was later followed by a programme to help ex-workers to find new jobs or re-train and assist supply firms to continue trading in the short term. Examination of the effectiveness of these emergency initiatives enables a wider discussion about the nature of industrial policy in the region and the work of the local regional development agency’s cluster-based approach to economic development and business support. Whilst the actions taken were successful in a number of aspects, there were a number of significant ‘failures’ at both national and local level. The MG-Rover case also illustrates a number of critical issues pertaining to regionally based cluster policies and the organization of cluster management groups where the ‘cluster’ in question not only crosses both administrative and ‘sector’ boundaries but is also subject to the imperatives of the global market car market

Harnessing Social Enterprise for Local Public Services

The government’s public service reform policy emphasises the collaboration of local authorities with a network of other agencies in the locality, either through contracts or through partnership arrangements. Strong encouragement is currently being given to the involvement of ‘third sector’ organizations (including social enterprises) in such partnering arrangements. This environment has opened up new opportunities for social enterprises. However, as the DTI has asserted in relation to social enterprise, ‘rhetoric rather than a robust evidence base continues to inform many arguments for its growth and support’ (DTI, 2003a: 49). This paper examines one of the most widespread examples of social enterprise in the provision of public services: ‘new leisure trusts’. It asks whether the combination of entrepreneurial skills and social purpose in social enterprises such as new leisure trusts provides a useful model upon which public service partnerships could be based. Findings show that these social enterprises can work to create synergy through improved input/output ratios, commitment to meeting social objectives and wider stakeholder involvement. However, there are issues of incentivisation and relative autonomy that must be resolved within such partnerships, and more work to be done in some cases to build genuine social inclusion

Unlocking the Potential to Influence Government Skills Policy: A Case Study of the UK Construction Industry

Despite a series of national policy initiatives aimed at addressing skills shortages in a number of sectors, little evidence of longer-term change is apparent. This paper examines concerns expressed by small businesses that their local views are not sought or considered when national training policies and initiatives are either being developed or being implemented, and that the investment in skills development does not appear to adequately represent their skills needs. The research was carried out on the UK construction industry, which is characterized by a small number of large contractors who employ mainly managerial and professional staff, and a large number of small, micro- and self-employed firms that provide, on a subcontract basis, the majority of the industry's demand for a skilled manual workforce. The identification and delivery of vocational education and training at an industry level rests firmly on addressing the skills needs of the small and micro-type organizations and not those of the large construction firms, although it is the voice of the larger firms that appears to dominate the skills and training development agenda